Gerald Summers, 1899-1967 | Armchair

In Summers' iconic and simple design a single sheet of plywood was cut and bent in two directions, eliminating the need for upholstery and connectors and dispensing with off-cuts. For the same model, see that on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (W.26-1978).

RELATED LITERATURE

Art and Decoration, November 1934, p. 59;

Architectural Review, December 1935, p. 194;

Thirties: British art and design before the war, exhibition catalogue, Hayward Gallery, 25 October 1979 - 13 January 1980, London, cat. no. 4.77, p. 150;

Derek Ostergard (ed.), Bent Wood and Metal Furniture: 1850-1946, New York, 1987, cat. no. 106, pp. 318-319;

Martin Battersby, The Decorative Thirties, London, 1988, pp. 96-97;

Pioneers of Modern Furniture, exhibition catalogue, Fischer Fine Art, 24 April - 31 May 1991, London, cat. no. 17;

Alexander von Vegesack, Peter Dunas, and Mathias Schwartz-Clauss, (eds), 100 Masterpieces from the Vitra Design Museum, exhibition catalogue, Weil am Rhein, 1996, pp. 110-111, cat. no. 42;

Doug Ngo and Eric Pfeiffer, Bent Ply: The Art of Plywood Furniture, New York, 2003, p. 114.