Philadelphia Museum Presents Unique Chairs

Jeanne Rymer, a former professor and head of the Interior Design Program at the University of Delaware, began acquiring modern chairs more than 20 years ago, displaying them in a small museum in her house.

"Chairs are Jeanne's passion, and this exhibition displays the fun, quirky works she collected and then donated in 2007," said Corbin. "Some are important works by well-known designers and architects such as Harry Bertoia and Jean Prouve; others are simply interesting and fun to look at. Her collection encompassed a little bit of everything."

Spanning the entire 20th century, but with a special focus on works from the 1950s, the exhibition includes 23 chairs made from a striking variety of materials. Many of the designers were trained as artists and architects, as reflected in the graceful, sculptural elements found in works like George Nelson's elegant "Pretzel" chair (1957), which greatly influenced the future of American molded-wood design.

Other works display a desire to produce simple, straightforward furniture, like Jens Risom's "Side Chair" (1941-1942), utilizing standardized pieces and Army surplus webbing. Although the webbing was replaced later by cotton, "Side Chair" reflected the desire of the East Greenville-based design firm Knoll to make modern furniture accessible and affordable after WWII. When design tastes shifted during the '50s, Knoll accommodated the change, producing Harry Bertoia's "Bird Chair" (1953), a hand-welded, Vinyl-coated steel mesh chair that experimented with space and structure.

Although not exhibited, American artists Ray and Charles Eames' design ideas permeate A Taste of Modern, as evidenced by several molded-wood chairs from international designers. Jean Prouve also felt the Eamesian influence, fusing his metalworking background with their molded-wood design to create his "Standard" chair (1930), made of beech-plywood and steel.

The picture shows Molded plywood chair, Designed by Norman Cherner, (American, born 1920), Made by Plycraft, Lawrence, MA, Designed 1956, Teak-faced, laminated seat, back and legs, 31 x 17 x 21 inches (78.7 x 43.2 x 53.3 cm).

"Jeanne Rymer's collection picks up on several important trends in chair making, from designers' desires to be revolutionary, found in the bold use of colors and geometric forms of the ‘Memphis' series, to the basic designs which have been replicated by other manufacturers countless times," Corbin said. "The exhibition incorporates a wide range of dates, decades, prices and nationalities, displaying a broad overview of modern chair making." -- www.philamuseum.org