Sidechair B5
1926-27
This was one of Breuer's first tubular-steel designs. Its success confirmed his interest in producing furniture that was supported by continuous tubing rather than separate legs. Although it never went into mass-production, the chair was widely used at the Bauhaus, the legendary school of art and design founded in Weimar by Walter Gropius in 1919.
The Bauhaus faculty sought to raise the status of crafts to that enjoyed by the fine arts. Through a revolutionary fusion of technology, craftsmanship, and modernist aesthetics they created utilitarian objects that were often spare, undecorated, and elegant. Breuer was head of the furniture workshop at the Bauhaus from 1925 to 1928, when he set up in private practice in Berlin.
steel with chrome and wool fabric
33 1/4 x 17 11/16 x 23 5/8 in. (84.5 x 45 x 60 cm)
Decorative Arts Purchase Fund
98.23