Book Review: 1000 Chairs
Written by Ana Cardoso More than any other piece of furniture, the chair has been subjected to the wildest dreams of the designers. The particular curve of a backrest, or the twist of a leg, the angle of a seat or the color of the entire artifact all reflect the stylistic consciousness of each era. From Gerrit Rietveld and Alvar Aalto to Verner Panton to Eva Zeisel, from Art Nouveau to International Style, from Pop Art to Postmodernism, the phenomenon of the chair is so complex that it requires a reference work as comprehensive as this to do it full justice. They are all here: Thonet’s bentwood chairs and Hoffmann’s sitting-machines, Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chair and Ron Arad’s avant-garde armchairs. The book devotes one page to each chair, displayed on its own as pure form, with biographical and historical information about the chairs and their designers. A special treat for anyone who loves design and a must for collectors! The editor Charlotte & Peter Fiell have written numerous TASCHEN books, including 1000 Chairs, Design of the 20th Century, Industrial Design A–Z, Scandinavian Design, Designing the 21st Century, Graphic Design for the 21st Century, 1000 Lights and Contemporary Graphic Design. They…
