Vitra Miniature Multicoloured Plastic material. Dimensions: 8.5 × 8.5 cm
x H 14 cm. Located in Weil am Rhein in Germany (near the Swiss border), the
Vitra Design Museum is a privately funded museum that showcases the unique
design collection of the Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra. The Vitra Design
Museum collection is one of the most important furniture design collections in
the world. It contains around 7,000 pieces of furniture, more than a thousand
lighting pieces, numerous archives and the inherited series of famous designers
such as Charles & Ray Eames, Verner Panton and Alexander Girard. The Vitra
Design Museum's collection of miniatures, which started more than 20 years
ago, is an illustration of the milestones in the history of design. This
collection encompasses the entire history of industrial furniture from the 1800s
to present day, creating a pathway through time leading to the creation of
modern seating, from historicism and Art Nouveau to Bauhaus and New Objectivity,
Radical Design and Postmodernism to present day. A magnificent collection of
emblematic works is presented to you. These chairs that have taken their place
in history all carry the memories of their times: Materials, shapes, colours…
They reveal the often forgotten dreams of their time, the (sometimes utopian)
aspirations of their designers, but above all to their vision of the world. The
chairs are reproduced on a one-sixth scale and faithfully replicate the original
historical model down to the smallest details in the design, material and colour
shade. This precise detail is also applied to the wooden grain, the reproduction
of the screws and the meticulous methods of handcrafting. These miniatures are
not only valuable collector's items, but are also an educational tool for
universities, design schools and architects. Rolf Fehlbaum, President of Vitra:
“We can deduce and understand an era, its social order, its materials, its
techniques and its taste by observing its chairs. I should point out that no
other everyday object offers such diversity.'’ The Panton Chair is a classic
in the history of furniture. Designed by Verner Panton in 1959, the chair was
developed for mass production in collaboration with Vitra (1967). The Panton
Chair was the first plastic chair made in one piece. Since being on the market,
it has gone through several stages of production. It has only been possible to
manufacture it according to its original design since 1999 – made of durable
plastic, self-coloured, with a matte finish. The overhanging structure combined
with a well adapted shape and soft material make the chair very comfortable to
sit in. It can be used alone or with other pieces, indoors or outdoors. The
Panton Chair has won many international design awards and is now part of the
permanent collections of many famous museums. Its expressive form made it one of
the icons of 20th century design.
