1960s Marcel Breuer for Knoll Isokon Chaise Lounge Chair New White Upholstery
About the Item
- Creator:Marcel Breuer (Designer),Knoll (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 56 in (142.24 cm)
- Style:Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:
Marcel Breuer
The architect and designer Marcel Breuer was one the 20th century’s most influential and innovative adherents of modernism. A member of the Bauhaus faculty, Breuer — like such colleagues as the architects Walter Gropius and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and the artists and art theoreticians László Moholy-Nagy and Josef Albers — left Europe in the 1930s to champion the new design philosophy and its practice in the United States.
Born in Hungary, Breuer became a Bauhaus student in 1920 and quickly impressed Gropius, the German school’s founder, with his aptitude for furniture design. His early work was influenced by the minimalist Dutch design movement De Stijl — in particular the work of architect Gerrit Rietveld.
In 1925, while he was head of the Bauhaus furniture workshop, Breuer realized his signature innovation: the use of lightweight tubular-steel frames for chairs, tables and sofas — a technique soon adopted by Mies and others. Breuer’s attention gradually shifted from design to architecture, and, at the urging of Gropius, he joined his mentor in 1937 on the faculty of Harvard and in an architectural practice.
In the 1940s, Breuer opened his own architectural office, and there his style evolved from geometric, glass-walled structures toward a kind of hybrid architecture — seen in numerous Breuer houses in New England — that pairs bases of local fieldstone with sleek, wood-framed modernist upper floors. In his later, larger commissions, Breuer worked chiefly with reinforced concrete and stone, as seen in his best-known design, the brutalist inverted ziggurat built in New York in 1966 as the home of the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Breuer’s most famous furniture pieces are those made of tubular steel, which include the Wassily chair — named after Wassily Kandinsky and recognizable for its leather-strap seating supports — and the caned Cesca chair.
Breuer also made several notable designs in molded plywood, including a chaise and nesting table for the British firm Isokon and a student furniture suite commissioned in 1938 for a dormitory at Bryn Mawr College. Whether in metal or wood, Breuer’s design objects are elegant and adaptable examples of classic modernist design — useful and appropriate in any environment.
Find vintage Marcel Breuer seating, storage cabinets and lighting on 1stDibs.
Knoll
As a company that produced many of the most famous and iconic furniture designs of the 20th century, Knoll was a chief influence in the rise of modern design in the United States. Led by Florence Knoll, the firm would draw stellar talents such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen into its compass. Their work would help change the face of the American home and office.
The company was formed in 1938 by the German immigrant Hans Knoll. He first worked with his fellow ex-pat, the Danish designer Jens Risom, who created furniture with flowing lines made of wood. While Risom served in World War II, in 1943 Knoll met his future wife, Florence Schust. She had studied and worked with eminent emigré leaders of the Bauhaus, including Mies, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. She won Knoll over with Bauhaus notions of industrial arts, and an aesthetic that featured flat and tubular metal frames and angular forms. When Hans died in a car crash in 1955, Florence Knoll was appointed head of the company. It was as much through her holistic approach to design — a core division of the firm was dedicated to planning office systems — as Knoll's mid-century modern furnishings themselves that she brought about the sleek and efficient transformation of the American workplace.
Today, classic Knoll furnishings remain staples of modern design collections and decor. A history of modern design is written in pieces such as the elegant Barcelona chair — created by Mies and Lilly Reich — Saarinen’s pedestal Tulip chair, Breuer’s tubular steel Wassily lounge chair and the grid-patterned Diamond chair by Harry Bertoia.
As you can see from the collection of these designs and other vintage Knoll dining chairs, sofas and tables on 1stDibs, this manufacturer's offerings have become timeless emblems of the progressive spirit and sleek sophistication of the best of modernism.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Lebanon, PA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- 1960s Eero Saarinen for Knoll Womb Chair with Original White Vinyl UpholsteryBy Eero Saarinen, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is an original 1960s womb chair, designed by renowned architect and furniture designer Eero Saarinen. This is one of Saarinen's most iconic works, which was introduce...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1960s Harry Bertoia for Knoll Large Diamond Chairs w/ Original White CoversBy Knoll, Harry BertoiaLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a rare pair of large diamond lounge chairs, designed by Harry Bertoia and produced by knoll circa mid 1960s. These are notable in that they retain their original 320 park ave...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- 2021 Richard Schultz for Knoll Swell Lounge Chair in White / SilverBy Knoll, Richard SchultzLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a Swell Lounge Chair designed by Richard Schultz and produced by Knoll. It has a white powder coated frame with white side members and silver/white mesh. The swell lounge cha...Category
2010s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- 1960s Mies van der Rohe for Knoll Barcelona Chair in Black Distressed LeatherBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a 1960s vintage Barcelona chair in distressed black leather with a polished stainless frame by Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll. This example came directly from Gratz Industries and was in their private collection. Gratz Industries produced the Barcelona chair frames...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Ettore Sottsass for Knoll Eastside Lounge Chairs Memphis Italy BlueBy Ettore Sottsass, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAListed for sale is a pair of gorgeous and original Ettore Sottsass Eastside lounge chairs, produced by Knoll International. These two lounge chairs came from the American Airlines ex...Category
Early 2000s American Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Fabric
- 2018 Marcel Breuer for Knoll Cesca Armchair in Blue & Black Fabric, Model 50ABy Marcel Breuer, KnollLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis is a Cesca armchair, model 50A, originally designed by Marcel Breuer in 1928. The listed price includes one 50A chair, and we have several available for individual purchase. The...Category
2010s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsNickel, Steel
- Marcel Breuer Isokon Chaise Long for Knoll 1970sBy Marcel Breuer, KnollLocated in Argelato, BOOne of the most iconic and elegant chaise longues in the history of design, conceived in the 1930s by the great architect and designer Marcel Breuer for the newly founded English com...Category
Vintage 1970s German Bauhaus Chaise Longues
MaterialsFabric, Plywood
- Marcel Breuer Lounge Chair Produced by IsokonBy Marcel BreuerLocated in Limhamn, Skåne länRare lounge chair designed by Marcel Breuer. Produced by Isokon in England.Category
Vintage 1950s English Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Beech
- Marcel Breuer Wassily lounge chair for KnollBy Marcel BreuerLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe iconic Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer for Knoll. Originally known as the model B3 chair, this monumental piece of Mid Century Design was first conceived a...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer for Knoll, 1920sBy Marcel Breuer, KnollLocated in Budapest, HUTubular steel chair by Marcell Breuer with vibrant red leather. The Wassily chair was designed in the 1920s for Knoll; this piece is considered as a landmark of modern design. Availa...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Marcel Breuer Isokon Chaise Longue, Knoll Studio / C.1970By Marcel BreuerLocated in Montréal, QCMarcel Breuer created innovational bentwood furniture. This Chaise longue is considered to be one of the most important pieces of its time, and was originally designed for Isokon Eng...Category
20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Knoll Wassily B3 Armchair By Marcel Breuer For Gavina 1960By Knoll, Marcel BreuerLocated in Los Angeles, CAntroducing the Knoll Wassily B3 Armchair by Marcel Breuer for Gavina - A Modern Classic from 1960 The Knoll Wassily B3 Armchair, designed by the visiona...Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel, Chrome