Item Number : #168

Power Play Chair and Ottoman

by Frank Gehry

number 305

for Knoll, America, 1993

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 from function.

One of the most important architects of the 20th and 21st centuries, Frank Gehry is considered a pioneer of Deconstructivism, a movement that exploded the tenets of Modernist architecture, replacing its geometry and rational order with fragmented forms and fluid, non-rectilinear shapes. During his early career, Gehry worked in the International Style established by the Bauhaus and the pioneering French architect Le Corbusier but was increasingly drawn to the avant-garde communities emerging in California in the 1960s and ’70s. “I think the blurring of the lines between art and architecture has got to happen,” he once said. He began to build furniture from industrial corrugated cardboard and used rough industrial materials such as chain link fencing and aluminium to create more expressive elements in his architectural work. An increasing playfulness of style led to the design of Gehry’s most iconic building, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (1997), whose sweeping curves of titanium are echoed in Gehry’s downtown L.A. building, the Walt Disney Concert Hall (2003).

Frank Gehry, born in 1929, is a revolutionary architect and designer renowned for his striking, modernist designs that challenge conventional aesthetics. Though primarily celebrated for his architectural works, Gehry also made significant contributions to furniture design, particularly in the mid-century period. His furniture pieces, characterized by their innovative use of materials and sculptural forms, reflect his unique approach to design. Gehry’s work blends art and functionality, bringing a bold, contemporary edge to the mid-century modern style. His creations are not just furniture; they are statement pieces that embody the spirit of innovation and creativity.

Dimensions: H83 x W80 x D76, Seat Height: 40cm)