Jordi Vilanova

JORDI VILANOVA (Barcelona, 1925-1998)
Olot chair, 1967.
Walnut wood and leather.
Measurements: 110 x 44 x 42 cm.

The Olot chair has a high openwork back with sinuous crosspieces that draw waves in the space. The dynamism printed on the backrest contrasts with the right angles described by the legs and the uprights of the base. The result is an attractive and unorthodox model. The Olot chair is an example of Jordi Vilanova's type of furniture that was very popular among the Catalan bourgeoisie in the 1960s.

A Catalan interior designer and cabinetmaker, Jordi Vilanova entered the Escuela de Trabajo y Oficios Artísticos de la Lonja in 1939. He completed his training in the workshop of Busquets, and between 1940 and 1953 he collaborated in the studio of Lluís Gili. Jordi Vilanova was founder and promoter of the Catalan art magazine "Questions d'Art" (1967-74). In 1974 he opened premises with a permanent exhibition of furniture and upholstery of his own design, forming part of the Official College of Interior Decorators and Designers of Barcelona and the SAD. His modern furniture and his way of resolving spaces were initially aimed at a large public of limited economic resources and, consequently, homes with less living space. However, this great majority did not understand his proposal. Instead, it was the Catalan bourgeoisie, eager to break with outdated stylistic canons, who embraced his work. His specialty was furniture for children, such as the Delta stool, which won the Delta de Plata Prize awarded by the ADI/FAD in 1964. He held exhibitions of his work in Scandinavia. Among his most representative designs are the Tiracord and Billar chairs (1961), the Montseny MP bunk bed (1961), the Tartera (1966) and Petit (1978) rocking chairs and the Z magazine rack (1987) designed together with his son Pau Vilanova Vila-Abadal. It is currently represented in the Design Museum of Barcelona.