Category: chairchez l’homme

Frankenstein Chair

Frankenstein Chair

There is that Swiss designer who coined his chair “Frankenstein Chair“, but otherwise, like me, you might ask: “What in heaven’s name has Frankenstein to do with a chair?”
That was until I found the Blog Frankensteinia which explains it quite simple: During long days of filming, the movie stars who are in heavy outfits, have to have a space to rest without cluttering their outfit or being bothered by it. Such chair kept Boris Karloff while resting backstage on the set of the Son of Frankenstein in 1939.

Thonet no 14 or 214 X 214

Thonet no 14 or 214 X 214 1
Thonet no 14 or 214 X 214 2
Thonet no 14 or 214 X 214 3
Thonet no 14 or 214 X 214 4
Thonet no 14 or 214 X 214 5
Thonet no 14 or 214 X 214 6

This is our post number 2,500. We’ve worked hard to reach this number before the 4th anniversary of this blog and I want to make the circle round. My chair fascination started with my fascination for the Thonet story, because I am mesmerized by the sheer size the company reached in its hey days around 1900, because of their influence on chair design and the fact that the story still evolves over several countries and continents and, last but not least, the fact Thonet made a chair affordable for everybody, which was not possible before they played their part in the industrial revolution: They truly democratized the chair.

The German branch celebrated the 150ieth birthday of their 214 model (they renamed the original number 14 into number 214) with a photo competition some time ago. Here my ranking of the first 6 of the photos they published.

Via Thonet 214 X 214 and the Galery

Sean Connery in Gaetano Pesce’s Up 5 Chair

Once in a wile a sexy man in a chair helps my Chairchez L’homme or “search the man in the chair or with the chair” category.

Via The North Elevation.

Laundry Chair (4): Laundry/Chair by Steve Curtis

laundry chair by steve curtis
The fourth interpretation of a Laundry Chair is a photo of the naked marine who waits in a chair whilst his laundry is drying. Photo © Steve Curtis, 1968.

Via Photographers Gallery.

Piet Mondrian Seated in his Paris Studio

Piet Mondrian Seated in his Paris StudioPiet Mondrian on a chair in his studio in Paris. Piet was a painter. Not so much a chair designer. However he was a highly influential member of the Dutch De Stijl group of architects, artists and designers. Another prominent member of the movement was Gerrit Rietveld. So Piet Mondrian (who was born as Piet Mondriaan) is a welcome addition to my Chairchez L’Homme – or Search the man with a chair – category.

ANDRE KERTESZ

Piet Mondrian in his studio, Paris, 1926

Gelatin silver print, printed later. 9 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. (24.8 x 19.7 cm). Signed, titled and dated in pencil on the verso.

ESTIMATE $3,000-5,000

via Phillips de Pury & Company.