Tom Dixon b. 1959

rush, iron

Tom Dixon, London, 1990, pp. 14, 42-43, 75
Claire Downey, Neo-Furniture, New York, 1992, p. 125
Pierre Kjellberg, Le Mobilier du XXe Siècle, Paris, 1994, pp. 168-169, (for three variant S-Chairs with rush seats)
Charlotte & Peter Fiell, 1000 chairs, Cologne, 1997, p. 595
Luxo, Pop, Cool, exhibition catalogue, Museu do Design, Lisbon, 1999, fig. 227 (for an example in the collection of the Museu do Design)

Stylish piece with good overall appearance. The piece has been re-rushed as noted in the catalogue entry. The rushing is slightly paler than the illustration suggests. Minor oxidation to the metal visible to the base. With practical use.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The S-Chair was made in Tom Dixon's London studio for three years before Cappellini negotiated the rights to produce it, where it became an icon of 'Italian' design.  This example pre-dates the final studio version, of which only 100 exist.  It is one of only three different experimental height and width studies with rush seat, before the dining height model was finally agreed.

It has been recently re-rushed  by the original prototyping upholsterer, Ingrid Y Chen, who worked in the studio in the late 1980s.

"I had this chair at home for many years before the pet rabbit attacked the upholstery . I liked it a lot because it was lower and more generous than the final S-Chair and we experimented with fatter coils of rush to give it a more primitive feel but  this was too expensive to translate into a production version, and we also decided that a conventional dining height would be more commercial, so this is the only one in these measurements." Tom Dixon.