The Wassily Chair
The Wassily Chair
Marcel Breuer
Designed 1925 – 1926
The Wassily chair, also known as the Model B3 chair, was designed by Marcel Breuer between 1925 and 1926. Its simple form takes its cue from the classic club chairs of the era. At that time, Breuer was an apprentice at the Bauhaus where Wassily Kandinsky was working. The chair was named after the painter 20 years later when it was re-released by an Italian manufacturer, Gavina when they found out (whilst researching the chair) that Kandinsky had admired the chair and had asked Breuer to make him one for his home.
The earliest chairs were made by the Austrian company Thonet. These are the rarest kind and had fabric (in black, white or fabric mesh) pulled taught across the frame, held by springs. Later, a leather version was released and is still in production today by Knoll. The design was revolutionary and embodied the Bauhaus ethos of combining art and industry. Breuer is equally recognised for his architecture and furniture design and this chair, inspired by bicycle design with its tubular steel, has become one of the most recognisable icons of the modern furniture movement.
