Jonas Bohlin

Ulf Beckman, Jonas Bohlin, exh. cat., Stockholm, 1993, p.7
Charlotte and Peter Fiell, eds, scandinavian design, Cologne, 2002, pp. 136-137
Bengt Nyström, ed., Svenska Möbler: Under Femhundra År, Stockholm, 2008, p. 318

Jonas Bohlin began his career as an industrial engineer, working on bridge building production, likely one of the inspirations for his ‘Concrete’ chair. Produced the same year as the first Memphis group collection, the ‘Concrete’ chair, like Memphis, challenged the traditional and societal norms of design and establishing a critical contribution to Swedish Post-Modern design.  Concrete and steel placed at sharp, rectilinear angles give the chair a resolutely sculptural feel, where the comfort of the sitter becomes almost secondary to the form itself. This is an early example of the crossover between art and design, blurring the lines between the two.