Mies Van der Rohe, Cantilever chairs and stools

LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE (Germany, 1886-Chicago, 1969).
Set of two stools and two Cantilever chairs, 1940s.
White painted steel and red leather.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use and missing paint.
Measurements: 75 x 48 x 70 cm (chairs); 42 x 41 x 42 cm (stools).

This set of two chairs and two stools is a true design icon. The white painted tubular steel frame harmonizes perfectly with the cushioned red leather seats and backrests. Being a type of cantilever chair, these do not have back legs, supporting the weight on the two front legs and their horizontal extension. The first design of this type is officially attributed to Mart Stam, a Dutch urban architect and furniture designer linked to the Bauhaus School, in 1926. In 1927 Mies van der Rohe also patented a model of this chair.

Along with Le Corbusier, van der Rohe's designs are identified with our own image of the Modern Movement. His work is universally recognized as a symbol of modernity and style, both architectural and design. The works that Mies van der Rohe produced throughout his career are numerous, ranging from private homes and villas to exhibition pavilions and university campuses. Mies van der Rohe is one of the few architects who consciously chose to base his works on proportions, not understood simply in the sense that a number is just a number, but in the sense that a number possesses both quantitative and qualitative characteristics. The phrase "Less is more", served him as a guideline for the projection and elaboration of his designs, having as a challenge to remove and reduce the use of materials as well as their quantity.