The Modern Chair at the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center
This exhibition is organized by Palm Springs Art Museum and curated by Brad Dunning, architecture and design specialist, with support from Rochelle Steiner.
The Modern Chair traces the evolution from the first cantilevered example by Mart Stam, and then onward to designs of current times including examples by Cini Boeri, Charles and Ray Eames, Frank Gehry, Eileen Gray, George Nakashima, Charlotte Perriand, Rudolph Schindler, among many others.
Technological and stylistic advances pushed chair design forward at a breakneck speed in the 20th century like no other time before. The exhibition will also contain important examples of 21st century as well.
The exhibition starts with two Dutch designs by Gerrit Rietveld and Mart Stam.
R.M. Schindler
Cantilevered chair, 1926-1940
Alvin Lustig
Paramount Chair, 1948
I'm without my one comfortable chair until April.
Only 55 chairs were produced.
Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen
Organic Chair, 1940
Collection of Michael and Susan Rich, in memory of Peter Loughery (a real lover of Eames)
This is a super rare and important one.
It was designed for the MoMA "Organic Design in Home Furnishings" competition in 1940.
The exhibition was Curated by Eliot Noyes
The drawing submitted by Eames and Saarinen originally specified aluminum legs. Due to WWII aluminum was in short supply, so wood legs had to be substituted.
Richard Neutra
Tremaine Chair, 1948
Collection of Brad Dunning
Source: Richard Neutra Furniture, The Body and Sense
Pipsan Saarinen Swanson
Sol Air Chair, 1950
Alvar Aalto
31 Armchair, 1931
Collection of Joel Chen
The grain is just insane on this example.
I watched the documentary Aalto: Architect of Emotions several months ago. It discusses how Alvar's first wife Aino was also an architect. She was one of the founding members of Artek and most likely had a large role in designing the Aalto furniture that Alvar gets all the credit for.
Finnish Pavilion at the Paris World's Fair, 1937
Frank Lloyd Wright
Casual Armchair, 1956
Collection of Mark Fletcher and Tobias Meyer
Roger Tallon
Module 400 Chair, 1966
Promised Gift og Donna and Cargill MacMillan, Jr
Jacques-Henri Varichon
Galaxie Chair, 1969
Collection of Archive 20th Century
Javier Carvajal
Granada Lounge Chair, 1972
Collection of Stephen Rose
Joe Colombo
LEM Chair, 1972
Collection of Brad Dunning
It's almost impossible to have a survey of the modern chair without Eames.
This also appears to be the California design room.
Miller Lee Fong
Lotus Chair, 1968
Gift of William G. Butler
California Design Ten, Pasadena Art Museum
Daniel Wegner
Lotus Chair, 1969
Collection of Samuel Wenger
Paul Tuttle
Z Chair, 1964
Collection of Reform Gallery
California Design Nine, Pasadena Art Museum
Muriel Coleman
Compass Chair, 1950
Collection of JC Miller and Steve Temme
Ohhh Pacifica
Luther Conover
Chair, 1951
Collection of Eric Huff
Dorothy Schindele
Modern Color Inc. Chair, 1950
Collection of JC Miller and Steve Temme
William Haines
Custom Armchair, 1950
75th Anniversary gift of L.J. Cella
Haines represents the fancy end of the California design spectrum.
Here are the chairs in situ at the A. Quincy Jones, Brody House, 1952
Photo: Julius Shulman
Speaking of fancy, the former William Haines office in Beverly Hills by William Cody is currently for sale.
Source: LoopNet
Gebruder Thonet
Model 6009, 1904
Private Collection
Brad Dunning obviously knows where all the good chairs are hiding.
The exhibition runs through April 2022.