Chairs - - 1- J Institute of History of Art, Architecture and Urbanism Delft University of Technology - Faculty ofArchitecture Chairs otakarMacel The Delft Collection Sander Woertman Charlotte van Wijk 010 Publishers, Rotterdam 2008 Introduction 7 History of the collection 10 Meta l 15 Synthetic material 91 Wood 119 Natural material 2^ Biographies 257 Bibiiographies 265 Index 267 Acknowledgements 269 Introduction lb aficionados, a book bearing the simple title of Stoeien (Chairs) functions as the primary source of infonnation on the collection nf (;hairs lielonging lo the Faculty (formerly Department) of Architecture at Delft University of Technology. There were at least two editions of this book: one edited l:iy Harm de Jong and published in 1974, and a second published by Delft Univezsity Press in 1980. Although the collection was the point of departure for both of these books, the publications were also supplemented by interesting designs thai did not belong to the collection itself. Unfortunately, in the last few years these publications have only been available in antiquarian bookshops. For a lengthy period of time, the collection was managed with varying degrees of attentiveness, depending on the people involved, but it generally led a marginal existence. Recently, however, the necessary steps have been taken to generate a favourable climate for the continuing existence of the collection. New accommodation has been arranged with the aid of the Mondriaan Foundation, and all the chairs have undergone conservation treatment. In 2002, the collection was entrusted to the Institute for History of Art Architecture and Urbanism, IHAAU. The renewed vigour applied lo the collection has resulted in additional acquisitions in the form of loans and donations from companies and private parties. Moreover, a number of older chairs fi?om the Sluyterman coUection have been added to the collection. The expansion of the collection, improved dating and attribution, and the urge to manage the collection in a more active manner were all reasons to issue a new publication with the aim of bringing the chairs to the attention of the general public once again. In this book, you will not always find the design classics with which you may be familiar from books on modem design, or splendid antique items that arc on display in museums. But you will become acquainted with a collection of furniture thai illustrates what it actually means to be a designer. The collection was initiated with the objective of supporting design education, and this goal is reflected in the collection criteria: material use, constrviction, and user typology'. These have ensured that the collection has acquired an extremely diverse and unique character down through the years. This means that it is not only orimted toward the major names fh>m design history, but it also devotes attention to unique items and user objects that have also become popular among the general public in the course of time, such as a simple knob chair from Brabant, a folding fishing stool, or a plastic bucket seat. Various periods and styles are represented in the collection. IWo focal points can be discerned. The first consists of the 18^ and 19'^ century seats, such as, for example, an ensemble of Russian folklore furniture that can be regarded as being among the most splendid examples of their kind. The chairs from the Modernist period - particularly the tubular steel diairs and aluminium chairs - fonn the second focal point. Besides these areas of focus, other subcategories can also be distinguished. On the basis of tlic above-mentioned collection criteria, the viewer can admire a large number of synthetic chairs, such as the two garden chairs created by Frog Design, the children's chair designed by Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper in 1964, and the Ptona Chair designed by Giancarlo Piretti in 1969. It will be self-evident that the Knotted Chair bf Marcel Wanders, which vy;as produced after a workshop at Delft University of Technology, is also included in the collection. In addition, there are various baby chairs, African milking stools, simple fanner's chairs, and other extraordinary sitting elements to be admired. In short, the assortment is rich enough to fascinate the design buff or creative designer who wishes to know more about the chairs one does not encounter in everyday life but which have certainly influenced our living environment. This variety of chairs is presented to the reader in line with the type of material that has been used: wood, metal, natural material (including wickerwork), and synthetic material. Tlie same classification was applied to the previous Delft publications This choice was occasionally rather arbitrary, because d chair might contain two types of material. In such cases, the material that largely determined the character of the chair was taken as the basis. Within each category, the chairs have been arranged according to their construction or method of production and, in specific cases, according to their use. The authors of the book have attempted to gather as much information as possible on the objects and to place them in the context of local, personal and historical developments. This quest has occasionally led to unexpected destinations, such as the Mus6e d'Orsay in Paris, the Paulus en Petrus Kerk (church) in Middelburg, or the convent archives in Sint Agatha. This often generated a feeling of 'upgrading' when another piece of the puzzle fell into place and a year, designer or excerpt from the creative history could be added to the database. The authors hope that the improved documentation of the chairs and the accompanying texts will stimulate the pleasure of reading as well as a better understanding of the composition of the collection. In the description of the chairs, the designei's name is the first piece of information given. Subsequently the type of chair is listed, witli its given name if possible, and then its date. This dating process distinguishes between the date of design, the date of manufacture, and the age' of the object in the collection. In this way. any difference between the initial design and a later implementation or reissue can be made clear. The next item is the inventory number The dimensions of the cliair are presented in centimetres — a smaller unit is useless because the chairs can never be identical down to the last millimetre. Nevertheless, the tube diameters of the metal chairs are given in millimetres. Hie order of sequence of the figures presented is: the height of the seat, the absolute height, the width, and the de])t}i. The data on the manufacturer usually contain the locat ion of the company or maker and the model designation. If no literature is Icnown, any further designation is omitted. The information concludes with further remarks on the object. The history of the collection In 1957 three students, Jelle Jelles, Gerrit Oorthuys and Sees Albers, came up with the idea of compiling a collection of chairs that could be used during design educational activities. Supported by the Faculty, particularly the Interior Design section, a collection of more than one hundred items was amassed within a few years. Many chairs were purchased at the Waterlooplein open-air market and at other second-hand markets. At that time, it was still possible to find a forgotten design chair among the displayed articles, which was one of the favourable sides of the advent of fashions and trends in interior design. Direct negotiations were also opened with manufacturers and designers. Other chairs were obtained via acquaintances, clearances of old premises, and donations. One of the most extraordinary donations came from Gerrit Rietveld in 1964. On hearing of the initiative concerning the chairs collection, he decided to donate a number of his chair designs to the Faculty. Taking the Faculty's selection criteria into account, Rietveld donated six chairs, each of which was based on a different construction principle. Since then, Ihe Faculty has been the proud owner of the aluminium chair made from a single aluminium plate, created on the basis of a design from 1942, the Danish Chair dating from 1946-1950, a large tubular frame chair (the renowned 'beugelstoel') with armrests, dating fh)m 1927, a crate chair ('kratstoel') from 1934, a stick chair ('stokkenstoeD from 1924, and a military chair &om 1932. Unfortunately, the Rec^ an (f Bluo chair included in the collection is a copy, not an original. The Rietveld chairs are often lent out for exhibitions at home and abroad. An important extension took place when the sitting furniture ftom the Sluyteiman collection was adopted into this collection of chairs. T. K. L. Sluytennan, Professor of Decorative Arts at Delft Polytechnic, was a passionate collector and brought together a large and varied collection of art and applied art objects between 1895 and 1920. He acquired a part of his collection when performing research for his publications entitled Oude binnenhuizen in Nedertand (Old Interiors in the Netherlands), dating from 1908, and Huisraad en Binnenhuis in Nederland in vroegere eeuwen (Household Goods and Interiors in the Netherlands in Previous Centuries), dating from 19 18. These were the first two general reviews in this held in the Netherlands, and they are still used as reference works hy restorers and collectors. This extension defined the contours of the Chairs collection as it is nowadays. Besides the modem 20^ century cheurs, a large part of the collection is comprised of island 19*''-century sitting furniture. From basement to depot In 1970 the Faculty of Architecture moved to the new Bakema faculty building at no.l Berlageweg in Delft. The Chairs collection also had to move and was accommodated at vai ious locations, eventually ending up in the antiques basement of the Faculty, whidi did it no good at all.