Barcelona Chair
MIES VAN DER ROHE AND LILLY REICH
MIES VAN DER ROHE AND LILLY REICH, 1929
Few objects represent as much. The Barcelona Chair, so named for the Barcelona Exposition where it was designed as a seat for the Spanish King, is a culmination of Bauhaus thought, of Mies van der Rohe’s maxim of ‘Less is More’. It is testament to artisan as artistry, to the collapsing of art practice under a single title of craftsmanship, yet its luxury is an exception to Bauhaus’ commitment to accessibility. It is a literal throne of modernism, taking inspiration from folding chairs of the ancient Romans and 19th Century Neoclassical seating – 2000 years of design were required to create such a work of staggering simplicity. When perhaps no object has had as many permutations, The Barcelona Chair is as close to a Platonic Ideal as exists.