The Barcelona Chair is without a doubt one of the most iconic pieces of design ever made, and its charm is transmitted from generation to generation finding new edges in a classical piece.

As a result of this day after day, there are new articles and references from several prestigious sources where the Barcelona Chair is mentioned. This time the turn is for the Metropolitan Museum of New York, thanks to its publishing.

According to My Modern Met, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is one of the founders of Modernism in Architecture and Arts, and you can tell it both in furniture and architecture.

In both fields, the philosophy of Van Der Rohe is very clear: Minimal ornamentation and a strong structure  (“skin and bones”, he used to say). “Less is more”, one of its most famed architectural principles illustrates very well. The ownership structure of the object must act as its only ornament.

That is the case of the Barcelona Chair and the German  Pavilion from the Barcelona International Exposition. The two examples mentioned by My Modern Met.

The German Pavilion

The Barcelona Collection, the creation of Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe made for the International Exposition of Barcelona,  was released in the German Pavilion, designed by L. Mies van der Rohe with the collaboration of Lilly Reich. Because of its simplicity and revolutionary style was considered a hallmark of its time. It was demolished after the Exposition, but rebuilt in 1985, by Cristian Cirici, following the original Design by van der Rohe. 

The Barcelona Chair

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich designed, not only the Barcelona Chair but the entire Barcelona Collection between 1928 and 1929, to release it in the Barcelona International Expo of 1929. It has by that time, revolutionary conceptual and manufacturing innovations that paved the way for what turns to be called modernism in the 1920s and 1930s.  Minimal ornaments,  the use of metal (stainless steel) and leather, and a focus on the functional side of the pieces were the main features of this proposal were combined with other major works of figures like Le Corbusier, to send an avant-garde message.

For inspo, info and great offers in furniture, don’t miss the oportunity in Barcelona Design, the alternative for Mid Century Modern style furniture, with masterpieces like the Barcelona Chair or the Hans Wegner Shell Chair.