F51-3 Gropius sofa

215 x 70 x h70 cm (seat height 42 cm), 3 seater

Frame : solid ash, natural, black or white lacquered, solid walnut or solid oak
Cushion : fabric or leather

Armchair for the director’s room at the Bauhaus school in Weimar, 1920
In the early 1920s, following its expressionist beginnings, a system of formal geometric design influenced by the De Stijl school had established itself in Bauhaus. It was in this context that Gropius designed the strictly cubist director’s room using both his own designs and those of other Bauhaus designers. This intersection of volume and linearity is reminiscent of contemporary architecture projects by Gropius, particularly the residential building that he referred to as Baukasten im Grossen (Large-scale building kit). Yet the frame of this armchair is significant for another reason. The armrests protrude freely and even the back of the chair does not touch the ground. When the upholstery is removed this cantilever armrest structure reveals itself as a precursor of the cantilever chairs, and anticipates, if turned 90 degrees, Marcel Breuer’s stool on runners from 1925.

Indicative price in fabric.