Marcel Breuer 'Wassily Chair' Print Available

Artist: Marcel Breuer
Title: Wassily Chair
Medium: Giclee Print
Size: (A4) 21 x 29.7 cm
Edition: UNSURE
Price: £20

Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) was a Hungarian-born architect and designer who stands as one of the twentieth century's most influential figures in modern design. His impact spanned the Bauhaus movement, where he first made his mark, to the design of major Brutalist buildings across the globe.

Breuer began his career at the famed Bauhaus school in Weimar, Germany, initially as a student and later as a master and head of the carpentry workshop. It was during this pioneering period that he introduced a revolutionary concept in furniture design: using bent tubular steel. His iconic Wassily Chair (originally Model B3), designed around 1925, broke ground by making furniture out of materials typically reserved for plumbing, forever altering the landscape of modern seating. This invention solidified his reputation as a visionary.

Following the rise of the Nazi regime, Breuer emigrated, eventually landing in the United States. He joined the faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he taught alongside fellow Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, influencing a generation of American architects.

In the latter part of his career, Breuer's focus shifted primarily to architecture. His mature work often showcased a powerful, sculptural use of reinforced concrete, defining the Brutalist style. Notable architectural achievements include the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the striking Whitney Museum of American Art (now the Met Breuer) in New York City, and the St. Francis de Sales Parish in Muskegon, Michigan.

Breuer’s legacy is a dual mastery of scale. From the precise, industrial elegance of a single chair to the monumental, expressive forms of institutional buildings, he consistently championed a functionalist approach that married structural innovation with a deep understanding of modern materials. His work remains a cornerstone of the modernist canon.