Frank Gehry Power Play Chair and Ottoman for Knoll, Signed, Great Condition
About the Item
- Creator:Knoll (Manufacturer),Frank Gehry (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 33 in (83.82 cm)Width: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Post-Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:1995
- Condition:Little if any signs of use. Ready to use.
- Seller Location:Kansas City, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1057029575872
Frank Gehry
With magnificent buildings such as the Guggenheim Bilbao, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the new Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, Frank Gehry has changed the nature and spirit of contemporary architecture. Yet the world’s best-known living architect has also enjoyed a prolific career as a designer of artful and functional objects, ranging from furniture to jewelry, that even at smaller scale are as lively and captivating as his architectural designs.
Gehry was born in Toronto and moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1947. He received a degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1954 and — after several years of casting about that included a stint in the U.S. Army and studies at Harvard — Gehry opened his architectural practice in L.A. in 1962.
Idiosyncratic renovations to his small, traditional house in Santa Monica — such as cladding portions of the exterior in chain-link fencing and corrugated metal — drew attention to Gehry in architectural circles. Corporate and institutional commissions added to his reputation, culminating in the global acclaim that greeted the opening of the Guggenheim Bilbao in 1997. But the combination of visual dynamism and structural integrity expressed by that building had been evident for decades in Gehry’s designs. In 1972 he introduced a much-admired line of furniture he called Easy Edges. The curves and flowing lines of the pieces, which include the Wiggle chair, seem antithetical to the material are made from: cardboard — a presumably flimsy material that, when stacked, laminated and folded, is actually extraordinarily sturdy.
Many of Gehry’s designs feature an abstracted fish motif. For the architect, it is a symbol of vitality, strength and flexibility. The fish appears in a group of 1982 plastic lamps created for Formica (and exhibited by the Jewish Museum in New York in 2010). Gehry used the motif in crystal goblets for Swid Powell (1990), his Pito kettle for Alessi (1992) and as earrings for a 2006 jewelry collection for Tiffany that also includes torqued rings, necklaces and bangles.
Gehry returned to furniture design in 1992 with a remarkably energetic line of furniture for Knoll with frames and seating made of bent, lightweight wooden strops. (The pieces' names, such as Power Play and Cross Check, derive from ice hockey.) In 2004, Heller released a group of twisted, faceted furnishings in molded polyethylene meant to evoke Gehry’s architecture. But — whether its tableware, jewelry or furniture — all Gehry’s designs do that--sharing an animated aesthetic built on a solid foundational core. To possess a piece of Gehry design is to own one of his buildings, in miniature.
Find vintage Frank Gehry chairs, tables and other furniture 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: Kansas City, MO
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Sitting Beaver Chair by Frank Gehry for New City Editions, 1979 / 1986By Frank GehryLocated in Kansas City, MO"Sitting Beaver" / "Skinny Beaver" chair designed by Frank Gehry for the Experimental Edges series in 1979. Although designed in 1979, the furniture from this series was not produced...Category
Vintage 1980s Canadian Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsPlywood, Paper
- Pair Barcelona Chairs, Black Leather and Stainless Steel, Mies for Knoll, SignedBy Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, KnollLocated in Kansas City, MOAll original timeless classic pair of black leather and hand polished stainless steel Barcelona chairs. Designed by Mies van de Rohe in 1929, this pair was produced in the 1970s. Ver...Category
Vintage 1970s American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Ron Arad Bad Tempered Chair #29/1000 for Vitra, 2002, Carbon Fiber, SignedBy Ron Arad, VitraLocated in Kansas City, MORon Arad "Bad Tempered" chair, by Vitra, number 29 of an edition of 1000, die-cut sheets of carbon and Kevlar laminates, fastened by bolts with wing nuts,...Category
Early 2000s German Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- Ron Arad Rover Chair for One Off LTD, London, 1980. Great Condition.By Ron Arad, One Off, Ltd.Located in Kansas City, MOA vintage ''Rover" chair that launched Ron Arad's career and his edition company, One-Off LTD. Arad, then a design student, set to show that you could make a good design using readil...Category
Vintage 1980s British Post-Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Paul McCobb Lounge Chairs Models 1320 & 1322. Priced for Reupholstery. Signed.By Custom Craft Inc., Paul McCobbLocated in Kansas City, MOPaul McCobb Lounge Chairs models 1320, the armless version and 1322, the version with arms. Price is for each. Signed with the Custom Craft label. Both have walnut frames in great...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Pair of Knoll Black Leather & Stainless Steel Barcelona Chairs, SignedBy Knoll, Ludwig Mies van der RoheLocated in Kansas City, MOPair / Two black leather and stainless steel Barcelona Chairs designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll. Each example is signed with the Knoll Studio markings. Very few signs of use...Category
Early 2000s American Bauhaus Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Frank Gehry Power Play Chair for Knoll, Black LacqueredBy Frank Gehry, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILFrank Gehry Power Play chair. Hard maple, black finish. Frame constructed of hard white maple veneer strips. The underside of both piece...Category
1990s Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMaple
- Pair of Frank Gehry Power Play Chairs for Knoll, Black LacqueredBy Frank Gehry, KnollLocated in Chicago, ILPair of Frank Gehry Power Play chairs. Hard maple, black finish. Frame constructed of hard white maple veneer strips. The underside of both...Category
1990s Post-Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMaple
- "Power Play" Chair by Frank Gehry for KnollBy Frank Gehry, KnollLocated in Oud Beijerland, NL"Power Play" Chair designed by Frank Gehry for Knoll. Beautiful and ingenious design of 'woven' of bended wood. This particular chair is manufact...Category
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Knoll Frank Gehry Power Play Pair of Bentwood Armchairs and Matching OttomanBy Knoll, Frank GehryLocated in Keego Harbor, MIA set of Knoll Frank Gehry "Power Play" armchairs and ottoman. This stunning set of artful furniture designed by Frank Gehry and produced by Knoll feature a bentwood construction with a ribbon-like design. These pieces are inspired by Gehry's childhood, specifically by the apple crates...Category
1990s Chairs
MaterialsBentwood
- Vintage Contemporary Signed Frank Gehry for Knoll “High Sticking” Chair - a PairBy Knoll, Frank GehryLocated in west palm beach, FLAn exceptional pair of vintage Contemporary dining chairs. Designed by the iconic Frank Gehry for Knoll. Striking maple ribbons in a sculptural composition. Padded cushion in a pebbl...Category
Late 20th Century North American Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Maple
- Frank Gehry Easy Edges Chairs and OttomansBy Frank GehryLocated in Los Angeles, CAFrank Gehry pair of easy Edges chairs and ottomans. Easy Edges, Inc. Canada/USA, 1972. Laminated cardboard, masonite. Chair: 29¼ H × 23¼ W × 39 D in, ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsMasonite, Paper
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
These New York Architects Love a Complicated Project
From Brooklyn townhouses to Maine campgrounds, Trattie Davies and Jonathan Toews relish a challenge, like transforming a former warehouse space into the new 1stdibs Gallery.
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.