Vintage Red Leather Lounge Chair by Eileen Gray, 1980s

Details

Description

A gorgeous, rare and strikingly attractive bibendum chair in lovely vintage condition. Designed by modernist pioneer eileen gray exactly 100 … Read more A gorgeous, rare and strikingly attractive bibendum chair in lovely vintage condition. Designed by modernist pioneer eileen gray exactly 100 years ago and likely made around the late-1980s, this iconic and sumptuously comfortable bibendum chair in dazzling red leather will add super quality, fabulous colouring and a stunningly eye-catching modernist aesthetic to any interior.

frequently cited as one of the most important chairs of the 20th century, with gray as one of the century’s most influential designers, her 1926 creation, the bibendum chair, is an enduring and timeless design icon. A landmark piece of modernist design that beautifully bridges art deco and modernist aesthetics, this sculptural armchair is instantly recognisable for its bold form and welcoming appeal.

composed of extremely well padded and stacked cylindrical cushions, which wrap around the generously sized seat to offer both visual impact and enveloping comfort, this super bibendum chair is upholstered in a rich and vibrant red leather, enhancing the design’s wow-factor and adding super vintage fascination. The voluminous seat is set on a slender polished tubular chrome base, which contrasts perfectly with the substantial red leather above.

all in all this armchair is a super example of an iconic, enduring and boundary-breaking design, which will add comfort, colour, quality and wow-factor to any setting. Photographed here with a 1970s belgian tiled, chrome coffee table and a 1960s danish tiled, teak nest of tables.

history of an icon
said by gray to be her “softer, rounder, and more feminine… answer to le corbusier’s grand confort armchair”, the bibendum chair was whimsically named after the already famous ‘bibendum’ michelin man trademark, whose stacked-tyre silhouette inspired the generously enveloping tubular cushions of gray’s armchair. A witty, subtly feminist response to the heavily masculine club chairs and modernist pieces of her male counterparts, gray managed to turn an industrial reference into an expression of domestic high comfort, and in the process create a style icon that would endure for more than a century.

although receiving initial critical acclaim in the 1920s, the bibendum chair did not capture the broader public’s attention at the time, as it was thought to be too unconventional for between-war mass-market tastes, and so was originally only made as a custom piece for high-end parisian villas.

it wasn’t until yves saint laurent bought an eileen gray painted folding wooden screen at a 1972 auction that her career was revived. The rights to the bibendum chair were soon bought up and the chair was produced for the mass market, catapulting both gray and the chair to global stardom from the mid-1970s onwards – some half-a-century after its initial conception. This is why we now associate this design icon with the late mid century modern period, despite it being an antique design – albeit a groundbreakingly innovative one, which just needed a half-century to be fully appreciated.

condition
this super armchair is in very good vintage condition. Reassuringly heavy, solid, sturdy and structurally sound, it is extremely comfortable and has only minor to-be-expected marks and wear to show its age. The leather is in largely very-good-to-excellent condition, and the chrome steel base is in good condition with only minor wear and marks. Both the chrome and the leather has been treated and polished to keep it rejuvenated and looking its best. The leather has very minor areas of discolouration, very minor grazing and one hard-to-notice nick to the top of the headrest area. Overall it’s an iconic, rare and strikingly attractive armchair in lovely vintage condition and if well looked after it should be just as attractive for generations to come – please see the photos.

measurements
height – 73cm, width – 96cm, depth – 81cm, seat height – 42cm, seat width – 50cm, seat depth – 50cm, weight – 22kg. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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