Frank Ghery Hat Trick Arm Chairs for Knoll, Bentwood furniture inspired by the simple bushel basket.
Gehry quotes:"These come out of my own work, the shapes of my buildings…. The difference in my chairs is that structure and the seat are formed of the same incredibly lightweight slender wood strips, which serve both functions. What makes this all work and gives it extraordinary strength is the interwoven, basket-like character of the design… It really is possible to make bentwood furniture pliable, and springy and light.”
After three years of experimentation and exploration, the collection was debuted in the Frank Gehry: New Furniture Prototypes show at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Inspired by the surprising strength of the apple crates he played on as a child, Frank Gehry created his thoroughly original collection of bentwood furniture. The ribbon-like designs transcend the conventions of style by exploring, as the great modernists did, the essential challenge of deriving form function.
Frame in 2" wide hard white maple veneers laminated to 6 to 9-ply thickness with high bonding glue.
[Incised and dated on underside Frank Gehry 1-26-96 Knoll USA]