The Wassily Chair. 1925-2025. One hundred years. A timeless masterpiece that has endured as a coveted seat and art form of distinction within the interior and the world of design…

For 100 years, this icon of Modern design has remained relevant in design and in demand across the world throughout the decades that have followed its revolutionary arrival.  The Wassily chair, originally known as the Model B3, is celebrated for its design innovation. The first tubular steel frame chair has earned its distinction as an instantly recognizable, artful statement in any interior space.

The Wassily chair embodies a universal design philosophy and combines the core elements of the Bauhaus Modern design movement in furniture: functionality and practicality. With its simplicity, clean lines, functional design, streamlined and striking frame, it pairs with the visual and physical weight of lightness. Stripped down to basic elements, the chair follows a Bauhaus rule in furniture design, that Form will follow function, dictated by purpose. Form and function, indeed. An ageless and lasting masterpiece that has endured to grace interiors with its modern aesthetic elegance for over 100 years..

“The pursuit of functionality and simplicity couples with aesthetic elegance”

And, oh, the visual distinction of this Mid-Century Modern design classic club chair of bent tubes of steel with a chrome frame and belted strapping! A “skeletal supporting structure” that certainly followed the premise “Less is more”. Aside from its groundbreaking design, its craftsmanship, with durable and high quality materials, has added to its being coveted for 100 years. And onward, it will continue to do just that in the decades that follow…

To understand the significance, beauty and modern elegance of the Wassily chair, and its creation in time and place, is to understand the philosophy behind the movement of the Bauhaus in art and architecture. In a homage to Marcel Breuer and the celebratory nod to 100 years of the Model B3 chair…so begins the story of a chair…

The Bauhaus School of Art and Architecture (Bauhaus, “building house” /  Bauhütte (constuction/building hut modernized to haus) was founded in 1919 in Weimar, Germany by Walter Gropius (1883-1969/German born American architect). Gropius is regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modernist architecture. Founded after WWI the Bauhaus, a state- sponsored school, was in operation from 1919 until 1933 when it was closed by the Nazi’s. The progressive and innovative school, uniting fine arts and applied arts, architecture, craft and design, was considered radical for the time. It can be said that one of the goals of the Bauhaus was to “reimagine the material world to reflect the unity of all the arts“. Arts and industry unified in a flexible artist community. A gathering of industrialists, architects, designers and artists that would certainly make an indelible mark on design in the world for decades to follow.

The objective of the Bauhaus was to pair aesthetics with function, with a focus on mass production, utilizing new types of methods and technologies being developed in Germany at that time.   The Bauhaus sought four elements: Simplicity (simple, straightforward lines and geometric shapes), Functionality (useful and practical), Materials (use of basic materials, such as glass, steel, plywood and plastic), Color (primary colors (black, white or gray) and Mass Production (designed specifically to be mass produced).

In 1919, Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956/German American painter and a leading promotor of Expressionism) who taught at the Bauhaus from 1919-1932 and was the master of the school’s printmaking workshop, illustrated the woodcut for the preliminary and first pamphlet design for the Bauhaus manifesto written by Gropius. The woodcut was and expressionist ‘cathedral’ that “illustrated the manifesto’s vision of a total work of art that combined the arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture“. This Manifesto of Bauhaus presented a call for architects, artists and artisans to gather as partners. As the name Bauhaus plays on the German word Bauhütte, “the cathedral references this workshop where the builders of the great medieval cathedrals worked together: quarrymen, plasterers, mortar-makers, stone-cutters, masons, and others“. In this way, “The term Bauhaus refers to a workshop, the sense of community and the equality of art and craft under the guidance of architecture, as cultivated in medieval cathedral workshops”. The three stars that surround the cathedral spire, which flow into each other, represented the three arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture.

With this background of history presented, we continue on to the story of the chair and those that will remain a part of it…

It is said that Hungarian émigrés were critical to the development of the Bauhaus in Germany. Marcel Breuer was one of those émigrés. In 1919 Marcel Breuer, (1902-1981/Hungarian-German modernist architect, Sculptor and designer), at the age of 18, studied at the Academy of Arts in Vienna. However, within his first year there, Breuer obtained a pamphlet of the Bauhaus Manifesto and within that year would became one of the first and youngest students at the Bauhaus. Quickly recognizing Breuer’s significant talent, Gropius, who would become a lifelong mentor to Breuer, quickly promoted him to the head of the carpentry shop.

“The artist works with the highest level of feeling. The technician works with the highest level of logic” – Marcel Breuer

In 1925 the Bauhaus school moved to Dessau, Germany. The “industrial newness” of the roaring 1920’s would spark an intense interest by Breuer. It is here that he would first design the Model B3 chair, the history of which began with a bicycle. While in Dessau, Breuer purchased his first bicycle to tour the city, a German Adler bicycle. Fascinated with the strong, yet light construction, of the tubular steel frame, particularly the curve of the bent steel handlebars, an idea was born.  Handlebar inspiration. Who knew? Recognizing the potential of this material and its ability to be bent would perhaps start the wheels of inspiration in the mind of this modern design genius…

Breuer began constructing his first prototype in his private workshop. Initially, he ordered steel tubes, bent to his specifications, directly from the steel manufacturing company, Mannesmannröhren-Werke (German-Austrian Mannesmann Pipe-Works Joint-Stock Company).  Interestingly, the steel tubes had the same dimensions as his Adler bike- 20 mm. However, instead of pre-bent rods, Breuer decided to have the steel bent in his workshop with the assistance of a plumber skilled in the craft of welding.  What would result was a large, square “club chair” with four legs.  Breuer is said to not have been pleased with the stiffness of the prototype and would continue to develop and experiment, replacing the welded seams with bolted joints, and closing the back of the chair, which was originally open.  There would be five versions until its final design. The final version, which formed the basis for mass production of the B3 chair, was constructed of a total of 9 pieces of chrome plated tubular steel bolted together by visible black screw fittings, chrome caps on ends, a continuous backrest and a “Sled” shape bottom. Ease of movement was a key addition in the practicality and design, for certain.

Lucia Moholy (1894-1989/photographer and publications editor) the wife of Bauhaus instructor and photographer, László Moholy-Nagy,and was considered of the early 20th century’s most gifted photographers and a key member of the Bauhaus. Moholy documented the architecture and products of the Bauhaus and introduced their ideas, aiding in creating the image of the school to the Post-war world. An image of Breuer’s B3 chair, photographed by Moholy, appeared in a local newspaper, simply entitled “Marcel Breuer neuer Stahl” (newer steel). The interest that was sparked from the chair perhaps brought furthered interest by Breuer to continue experimenting on its form.

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944/Russian painter and art theorist /pioneer of abstraction in Western art) was a colleague and friend of Breuer at the Bauhaus.  The interest and praise received by Kandinsky was perhaps the strongest motivation for Breuer to continue experimenting on the chair.  Kandinsky is even said to have received a prototype from Breuer.  A lasting connection that would resurface in time….

Although this chair is known for its leather strapping variation, the Wassily chair original strapping material was constructed in fabric strapping, not leather. The original design used Eisengarn, a strong and durable, light-reflecting, waxed cotton thread that was invented and manufactured in Germany in the mid-19th century. Margaretha Reichardt, “Grete” (1907-1984/Textile artist, weaver and graphic designer) a student at the Bauhaus weaving shop, collaborated with Breuer and experimented and improved the quality of the Eisengarn thread (“Iron Yarn”, also known as Glanzgarn (‘”gloss”or “glazed'” yarn.) Reichardt’s improvements also gave the fabric an almost metallic sheen. Its use became renowned in the woven cloth and strapping material used for the tubular chairs designed by Breuer.

With this new fabric, Breuer began a small scale production in his workshop. It is interesting to note that the production of the B3 chair was not a project of a part of the Bauhaus school, but rather created and produced independently and with Breuer’s own financial investment in the materials. Breuer wisely copyrighted and obtained rights to the profits.

With this new production, the chairs were said to have been sold to those that had inquired through the Moholy’s newspaper advertisement. However, the rise in demand perhaps prompted his Hungarian “compatriot”, Kalman Lengyel (1889-1945) (Hungarian Furniture designer/Interior Designer) to propose to Breuer a joint business venture to manufacture and promote the tubular furniture that Breuer designed. The company “Standard Möbel” resulted and was founded in Berlin, Germany in 1927.  A company with a short lived duration. Lengyel provided the finances and artisans while Breuer supplied the most of the 20+ furniture models. (Of note, no image of Lengyel could be found). In 1927 the first catalogue of “Standard Möbel” contained, almost exclusively, designs by Breuer, numbered and marked with a “B”. The second catalogue was printed in 1928 under the title “Das neue Möbel” (New Furniture) and included four designs that are marked with a “L” for “Lengyel”. The designs were initially sold under the names Stahlrohrmöbel System Breuer and Breuer Metallmöbel. Of note, It is said that the main buyers of the chair at this time were the Bauhaus itself, filling the school with the tubular designs of Breuer.

The 1927 catalog was designed by Herbert Bayer (1900-1985/Austrian-American graphic designer, painter, photographer, sculptor, art director, environmental and interior designer, and architect) who had studied under Wassily Kandinsky at the Bauhaus. This catalog offered an overview of the different models by Breuer.

In 1927, Anton Lorenz (1891-1913/Hungarian entrepreneur and designer) became the managing director of “Standard Möbel”. As one of the first to recognize the potential of this new type of furniture, Lorenz is credited as having helped “bring the promise of tubular steel furniture to life”. Lorenz aggressively pursued patents and established a network of “Rights of Use” for the new tubular steel furniture.

Thonet, having already been renowned for their bentwood furniture, saw potential in the new tubular steel technology that Breuer pioneered. Breuer is said to have signed an agreement in 1928, giving Thonet all the access of the manufacturing rights to produce and sell his steel furniture, thus becoming the sole producer. In the Summer of 1929, Lorenz sold “Standard Möbel” to Thonet, setting the design stage for the market launch of a tubular steel collection.

With the release of their first catalogue with Breuer’s furniture, Thonet would manufacture its own variation of the B3 chair in which a bowed crossbar ran beneath the seat.  However, it is believed that Breuer was not involved in these alterations. In addition, Thonet’s version was not well received and was removed from production during WWII. This removal perhaps contributed to it remaining the rarest version of the Wassily Chair today. While Breuer worked with Thonet on new tubular steel designs, Lengyel would create his own company, Standard-Möbel, Lengyel & Company, that same year.

Enter the 1960’s….

Dino Gavina (1922-2007/Italian entrepreneur and designer) founded a design firm and furniture production company, Gavina SpA in 1960 in Bologna, Italy. Known as one of the founding fathers of Italian Design, Gavina was visionary artist and trailblazing entrepreneur of modern design. Gavina SpA manufactured the work of designers from influential Italian modernist design scene of the 1950’s and 1960’s.   This would include the work of Marcel Breuer and the Wassily chair two years later.

In 1962, Gavina met Breuer in New York City and acquired the license for Breuer’s tubular work, including the B3 chair. Nearly forty years later. While doing research of the chair for marketing purposes, the connection between Wassily Kandinsky and Marcel Breuer was realized. This connection and friendship between the two artists is perhaps a homage and tribute to their history as well as to the great Russian painter himself, with the name change to “Wassily”. In his reissue of the chair, Gavina not only changed the name but made a significant change to the chair itself, offering the original fabric strapping but also offering it in a black leather strapping version. Gavina’s changes would credit him with the most recognized version of the chair today.

In 1968 Knoll International purchased the Gavina Group of Bologna, incorporating all of Breuer’s design into the Knoll catalog of designs. Today, Knoll still owns the trademark. As the original patent designs have expired, reproductions continue to be produced around the world by manufacturers, marketed with various names. 100 years since its inception into the world of design. Remarkable.

Perhaps a finale, of this historical journey of a chair, is to share the words of Marcel Breuer in his summation of its creation in an interview with a Knoll historian (Knoll.com)…

Marcel Breuer described how he came to begin experimenting with bent tubular steel while at the Bauhaus:

“At that time I was rather idealistic. 23 years old. I made friends with a young architect, and I bought my first bicycle. I learned to ride the bicycle and talked to this young fellow and told him that the bicycle seems to be a perfect production because it hasn’t changed in the last twenty, thirty years. It is still the original bicycle form. He said, “Did you ever see how they make those parts? How they bend those handlebars? You would be interested because they bend those steel tubes like macaroni.”

“This somehow remained in my mind, and I started to think about steel tubes which are bent into frames—probably that is the material you could use for an elastic and transparent chair. Typically, I was very much engaged with the transparency of the form.

“That is how the first chair was made…I realised that the bending had to go further. It should only be bent with no points of welding on it so it could also be chromed in parts and put together. That is how the first Wassily was born. I was myself somewhat afraid of criticism. I didn’t tell anyone I was doing these experiments actually. [Wassily] Kandinsky, who came by chance to my studio when the first chair was brought in, said, “What’s this?” He was very interested and then the Bauhaus got very interested in it. A year later, I had furnished the whole Bauhaus with this furniture.” – Marcel Breuer

“I am as much interested in the smallest detail as in the whole structure” – Marcel Breuer

In the interior….

The beauty and simplicity of this chair of elemental lines is striking in any interior. Offering visual negative space in between the chrome plated steel frame and seat, the Wassily chair offered the design world only the bare essentials to create a seat. (As a side note of interest, the padded “Club” chair would arrive during the early 20th century, originating in France in 1929. The “fauteuil confortable” which was designed for gentleman’s clubs, perhaps alluding to the name. Surely it was a padded version inspired by Breurer’s classic 1925 steel frame, free from padding?). Thought provoking, indeed.

The iconic Wassily chair, found within the interior today, proves its enduring appeal within a myriad of designed spaces….

“Two years ago, when I saw the finished version of my first steel club armchair, I thought that this, out of all my work, would bring me the most criticism. It is my most extreme work both in its outward appearance and in the use of materials; it is the least artistic, the most logical, the least ‘cosy’ and the most mechanical”– Marcel Breuer

Who knew? Yet what an enduring and profound significance in design his creation has held for over 100 years. The Wassily chair remains his most iconic and impactful. But beyond the chair of tubular steel, his prolific output in the world of furniture and architectural design that would follow in the Post-war decades continued to be defined by Modernism.

For certain, it can be said that the Wassily chair was groundbreaking and revolutionary. Breuer’s innovative, functionalist B3 design with its artistic aesthetic will continue to remain a legendary, classic and modern chair in the world of design and modern art. It is truly a symbol of the Bauhaus era, proving that good design is timeless and can last for generations.   Onward in that.

Cheers to 100 years of a definitive classic of Modern Design of timeless elegance!

Onward,

Kristin

PS: To say I have fallen in love with this chair, while researching and preparing this post, is an understatement.  Truth be told, I fell down the “rabbit hole” of deeper interest in connecting the history and visual representations, that are part of the history and fabric of this iconic chair. Moving beyond a brief summation and images, for certain. A firm believer of “less is more” and “simplicity in elegance”, how this chair became formed, and the connective influences in time and place, are key in appreciation. And of course, the modern genius on the part of Marcel Breuer and the influences of the Bauhaus movement. I have gained not only a more intense appreciation but a personal quest to one day own one of these iconic classics.   One day….and style it in my interior world, I shall…