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This blue chair is a fully restored, vintage butterfly chair with a solid steel rod frame that has been professionally shot-blasted and powder-coated. Part of the process involves the frame being assessed to ensure it closely follows the design and construction of the 1938 original. It is likely this example comes from the 1950 to 1970 period.
Powder-coating is used due to its superior durability and environmental impact, making the chair suitable for indoor or outdoor use. The cover is locally made and utilises canvas imported from France specifically designed to withstand solar fading and discolouration.
Chairs from the 1950-1970 period align with the Modernist Architectural movement of the time where local pioneers including the likes of Harry Seidler and Robin Boyd often specified the use of particular chairs* in their designs. This 'popularity' lead to a short-lived, high quality cottage industry long before the cheaper imports arrived.
*[The Rose Seidler House in Sydney, being perhaps the most famous example where the original, locally made butterfly chairs remain to this day.]
Some history of the original design:
Conceived in 1938 by three Argentinian architects, Antonio Bonet, Juan Kurchan and Jorge Ferrari Hardoy, the butterfly chair (or BKH chair) was launched at the 1940 Salon de Artistas Decoradores in Buenos Aires and with the modernist movement in full swing was a great success. The first buyer was Edgar Kaufmann Jr., a curator for MoMA in New York. He bought the three chairs on show - one going straight into MoMA’s permanent collection, the other pair destined as feature pieces for the Kaufmann’s family home, Fallingwater - one of the world’s finest pieces of modern design that established the architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. As popularity of the chair grew, Knoll acquired the production rights and the resulting international exposure secured the butterfly chair as an icon of modernism. Some years later, Knoll failed in their bid to protect the copyright and poorly made copies flooded the market.
I have a small number of chairs available with different coloured covers, follow this link to see the full range.
Brand & Designer
Knoll
Color
Blue
Style
Mid-Century Modern
Material
Canvas/Steel
Condition
Excellent
Dimensions (cm)
68.0W x 83.0D x 85.0H
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