1000 Chairs (revised and updated edition)

Sit back, relax, and survey some of the most iconic chairs in history. A must for design addicts and collectors alike, this dependable compendium presents each chair alongside essential information about the designer and their work, from Alvar Aalto to Eva Zeisel, from Art Nouveau to International Style. This recently refurbished edition traverses archetypal seats of the 1800s right up to the most innovative designs of today.

More than any other piece of furniture, the chair has been subjected to the wildest dreams of the designer. The particular curve of a backrest, or the twist of a leg, the angle of a seat or the color of the entire artifact; each element reflects the stylistic consciousness of an era.

From Gerrit Rietveld and Alvar Aalto to Verner Panton and Eva Zeisel, from Art Nouveau to International Style, from Pop Art to Postmodernism, the history of the chair is so complex that it requires a comprehensive encyclopedic work to do it full justice. They are all here: Thonet’s bentwood chairs and Hoffmann’s sitting-machines, Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chair and Ron Arad’s avant-garde armchairs. Early designers and pioneers of the modern chair are presented alongside the most recent innovations in seating.

This dedicated compendium displays each chair as pure form, along with biographical and historical information about the pieces and their designers. An illuminating tome for design aficionados and an essential reference for collectors!

Bibliotheca Universalis—Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe at an unbeatable, democratic price!
Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible, open-minded publishing. Bibliotheca Universalis brings together more than 100 of our all-time favorite titles in a neat new format so you can curate your own affordable library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia.
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The authors

Charlotte & Peter Fiell have written numerous TASCHEN books, including 1000 Chairs, Design of the 20th Century, Industrial Design A–Z, Scandinavian Design, Designing the 21st Century, Graphic Design for the 21st Century, 1000 Lights, and Contemporary Graphic Design. They have also edited TASCHEN’s Decorative Art series and the 12-volume domus 1928–1999.