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Marcel Breuerbreuer mueble 111 añosañosaños dede MarcelMarcel BreuerBreuer Marcel Lajos Breuer – Lajkó para sus llamó para poner en marcha el taller amigos– nació el 21 de mayo de 1902 de mueble en la nueva Bauhaus de en la ciudad de provincias de Pecs, Weimar, Breuer dijo que sí. Hungría.. De vuelta en Bauhaus, uno de sus Breuer ganó una beca para estudiar primeros proyectos fue la silla de tubo arte en la Academia de Bellas Artes de de acero de 1926, posteriormente Viena. Frustrado por sus contenidos llamada Wassily, en homenaje al académicos abandonó la Escuela y también profesor de Bauhaus y pintor empezó a trabajar en un estudio de Wassily Kandinsky, hecha de tubo de arquitectura vienés hasta que un amigo acero extruido y niquelado. le sugirió solicitar la entrada en la Inusualmente ligera y fácil de montar a Bauhaus, una recientemente fundada partir de piezas prefabricadas de tubo, escuela de diseño en Weimar, Alema- la silla fue el resultado de los años de nia. investigación de Breuer con acero Después de completar el curso flexible, y un hito en el diseño del preliminar en el que los estudiantes mueble. “Pensé que era el proyecto eran introducidos en todas las ense- con el que más críticas me lloverían” ñanzas de Bauhaus, Breuer llegó a ser pero “ocurrió lo más opuesto a mis unos de los 6 aprendices del nuevo previsiones” comentó más tarde. 1922. Silla africana. Roble, lana (94.5 x 56.5 cm). Se nota la influencia de Rietveld taller del mueble en el verano de En aquel momento fundó la empresa 1921. Su primera creación fue la pieza Standard Möbel para fabricar su silla silla romántica (también conocida como de acero pero su desarrollo se la silla africana por su forma de trono) demostró mucho más complejo de lo que talló y pintó a mano. En 1923, previsto. Breuer también diseñó los cuando recibió la cualificación de muebles para las viviendas de los maestro de taller Ya estaba muy maestros de Bauhaus y los de la casa influido por la estética de De Stijl, el del productor de teatro Erwin Piscator movimiento artístico holandés. en Berlín. Aunque estaba considerado como uno Cuando Gropiues dimitió de Bauhaus de los más prolíficos alumnos de la en 1928 Breuer le imitó y se estableció Bauhaus y protegido por su director como arquitecto en Berlín. Excluido del 1922. Silla en un estilo más próximo a sus siguientes Walter Gropius, Breuer tenía poca Colegio de Arquitectos por su falta de realizaciones paciencia con los debates intelectuales experiencia, trabajó en rehabilitación y que inflamaban al resto de la Escuela en más mobiliario. En 1931 cerró su ya que él prefería diseñar “sin mantener estudio y emprendió un viaje por el sur debates intelectuales de hacer nada”. de Europa antes de un nuevo e En 1924 Breuer dejó Bauhaus por infructuoso intento de establecerse Paris donde trabajó en un estudio de como arquitecto. arquitectura intentando “hacer todo lo De vuelta a Alemania en 1933, le fue posible para olvidar los prejuicios de imposible instalarse de nuevo debido a Bauhaus”. Paris fue un nuevo la llegada al poder del desencuentro y cuando Gropius le Nacionalsocialismo y se traslada a Butaca Wassily. 1925 2 BOLETÍN DE INFORMACIÓN TÉCNICA Nº 238 mueble Suiza para continuar produciendo sus Laboratory (su edificio preferido), las muebles de tubo de acero. Allí tuvo un oficinas del los Departamentos de gran reconocimiento internacional de su HUD y HEW en Washington DC y trabajo pero sus finanzas continuaban Flaine (una ciudad completa dedicada yendo mal por lo que aceptó de al esquí en los Alpes franceses). nuevo la llamada de Walter Gropius Se retiró en 1976 y murió el 1º de julio desde Londres. de 1981 tras una larga enfermedad. Breuer ya era, pues, uno de los Su arquitectura es de una gran expresi- diseñadores más conocidos de Europa. vidad y de una sorprendente actuali- Su currículum eras sus revolucionarias dad en cuanto a las tendencias que sillas de tubo de acero, una residencia, imperan en este momento. Hasta su dos pequeñas casas y varios premios aspecto externo sería hoy plenamente internacionales de diseño de muebles. moderno. Dos años más tarde, Gropius le Breuer ha pasado a la historia, sin propuso unirse a él como profesor de embargo, por sus sillas y butacas de la Escuela de Arquitectura de Harvard tubo de acero eclipsando una carrera donde pudo formar a algunos de los arquitectónica brillantísima. Diseñadas mejores arquitectos americanos. con veintitantos años, siguen teniendo B32, después llamada Cesca, sillas de tubo de acero. Trabajó con él hasta 1941, año en que una frescura y una elegancia, que sólo 1926. se disolvió la sociedad seguramente se encuentran en las obras maestras. El por la frustración de Gropius de no tiempo ha demostrado que estos conseguir el reconocimiento público ni diseños no fueron un hallazgo casual ya los proyectos importantes que tenía en que la trayectoria de Breuer fue Alemania. siempre brillante en todos los palos Establecido por su cuenta en Nueva que tocó: mueble, arquitectura, York en 1946 Breuer, en cambio, escultura. mostraba el mismo entusiasmo por la enseñanza que por poder realizar Diseños de muebles en pequeños proyectos de viviendas (de tablero contrachapado 1942 a 1958 apenas construyó una para Isokon pequeña vivienda unifamiliar al año): al Cuando Marcel Breuer llegó a Londres principio centró su práctica profesional en 1935, buscó trabajo a través de fundamentalmente en la arquitectura Gropius que era asesor de diseño en residencial si bien ésta se abrió la productora de muebles Isokon, alias finalmente a edificios institucionales de la Isometric Unit Construction Apartamentos Isoflat importantes como la sede de la Company. UNESCO en Paris (1958) o la Abadía Cuando Breuer dijo a su propietario, de Saint John en Collegeville, Jack Pritchard, que quería continuar Minnesota, dos años más tarde (un desarrollando las piezas metálicas que conjunto de edificios docentes de había desarrollado durante su estancia extraordinaria fuerza expresiva). como profesor en la Bauhaus a En Nueva York convirtió su estudio en mediados de los años 20, Pritchard le internacional: se mudó tres veces a dijo de que los británicos eran dema- estudios más grandes y abrió una siado tradicionales para comprar sucursal en París desde donde trabajó muebles metálicos y que prefería que en siete países europeos con la ayuda trabajara con tableros contrachapados. de 5 socios. El resultado fue un conjunto de 5 En 1968, cuando ganó la Medalla de piezas: butaca, chaise longue y mesas oro de la Unión Internacional de en las que el contrachapado está Arquitectos, justo cuando había dado formado tan fluida y sinuosamente que fin al Museo Whitney de Nueva York, ahora lo vemos como hitos del diseño una de sus obras más famosas, y al del mueble del siglo XX pese a que Laboratorio de IBM en La Gaude durante su desarrollo se cernían sobre Silla de comedor Isokon. 1936 3 AITIM NOVIEMBRE-DICIEMBRE DE 2005 mueble Silla Isokon con brazos 1936 Tumbona o silla larga (chaise longue) y corta Sofás (1936) él las nubes de las dudas y el desagra- descubrió la actividad investigadora. do de los que le rodeaban. Isokon era Luego se dedicó a la publicidad y en principio un edificio de apartamen- después, con una familia que mantener, tos, conocidos especialmente porque entró en el departamento de marke- en ellos vivió gente como Agatha ting de Venesta, especialistas en Christie, de 1940 a 46 y también fabricar contrachapado. A través de Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer o Lazslo Venesta empezó a promover el diseño Moholy-Nagy. El edficio, de Jack y Molly moderno. Entonces, en 1930, con el Pritchard, obra del arquitecto Wells arquitecto Wells Coates creó el núcleo Coates era un edificio de apartamen- que llegó a ser sinónimo de estilo tos (con salón-dormitorio-cocina-baño- moderno Isokon Ltd. Jack permaneció vestidor). Las habitaciones estaban en Venesta hasta 1936. decorados con muebles de diseño y el Isokon encargó diseños a varios bar - el Isobar- fue decorado Marcel expertos: Walter Gropius y Marcel Breuer) todo ello con diseño de Breuer, Gerald Summers... vanguardia. La Segunda Guerra Mundial mató John Craven (Jack) Pritchard (1899- Isokon pero revivió en 1963. Su vuelta 1992) nació en Hampstead, era fué fugaz pero reveló que había un licenciado en ingeniería y económicas, y mercado para este tipo de muebles educado bajo las ideas de Henry Entre 1945 y 1963, Jack Pritchard fue Morris. Trabajó para Michelin donde Director del Furniture Development 4 BOLETÍN DE INFORMACIÓN TÉCNICA Nº 238 mueble Council y profesor. Murió en 675 x 660 x H720 mm Blythburgh, Suffolk,ein 1992. En Londres, Breuer trabajó como Silla larga arquitecto con asociado a F.R.S Yorke Este chaise longue se adapta al cuerpo y junto a él realizó varias casas en Dimensiones: 1350 x 600 x H 830 Sussex, Hampshire, Berkshire y Bristol. mm Madera: abedul Los diseños de Isokon La silla larga, con su estructura de Los diseños de Isokon de Marcel abedul laminado que soporta la Breuer fueron influidos por el trabajo madera moldeada de asiento y de Alvar Aalto, que había expuesto respaldo, fue desarrollada muy al sus muebles de contrachapado en principio de la llegada de Breuer a Gran Bretaña, en 1933. Inglaterra en 1935. Sillas apilables (1936) El respaldo y el asiento forman una Sofa (1936) pieza continua de contrachapado Este sofá iba tapizado en varios moldeado soportado por una estruc- colores, en cuero o lana. tura elástica de abedul que consta de Dimensiones: 2200 x 890 x H 790 tres piezas: reposabrazos horizontal y mm vertical en una pieza continua conecta- Madera: abedul y nogal do a un marco horizontal base que se curva hacia atrás hasta juntarse con el Sofá de dos asientos (1936) asiento de la pierna en voladizo.
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