Paul T. Frankl

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Description

Paul T. Frankl
A Rare Armchair
nickel-plated steel and leather upholstery

Provenance

Jed Johnson, New York
As Time Goes By, New York
Historical Design Collection, New York, ca. 1984

Exhibited

The Machine Age in America, 1918-1941, The Brooklyn Museum, October 17, 1986-February 16, 1987
Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, April 4-June 28, 1987
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, August 16-October 18, 1987
The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, December 1, 1987-February 14, 1988

Literature

Paul T. Frankl, Form and Re-Form: A Practical Handbook of Modern Interiors, New York, 1930, p. 24 (for a similar model incorporating tubular steel side supports)

Catalogue Note

This chair is constructed from square steel elements requiring extensive welding and hand-finishing, which suggests the chair is a custom design or prototype rather than a production model. The chair embodies many of Frankl's distinct hallmarks, including the juxtaposition of thick and thin elements, the clear articulation of structure, the wide armrests and the inclined seat back. This chair represents the only known example of this design.