It’s hard to believe that, were he still alive today, visionary designer Marcel Breuer would be celebrating his 123rd Birthday.
Born in Hungary in 1902, he went on to become a professor at the infamous Bahaus school of design in Germany and throughout this period produced a number of iconic designs such as his infamous tubular steel ‘Wassily’ and ‘Model B32’ Chairs.
Not only did such pieces have a major influence on Heal’s own collections, most notably the ‘Economy with a Difference’ range launched in 1933, but were also stocked within the showrooms of Tottenham Court Road.
Working for modern British furniture makers Isokon, whose creative director just happened to be former head of the Bauhaus Walter Gropius, in 1935 Breuer produced his stunning ‘Long Chair’ with Heal’s one of the first stores in the world to stock this classic design.
As well as his instinctive aptitude for furniture, at the peak of 20th century Modernism following the Second World War Breuer was one of the worlds most influential and in-demand architects.
Designing up until his passing in 1981, buildings include the Unesco Headquarters in Paris (1958) and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York (1966), both now considered masterpieces of the modern era.
So the next time you sit back in a contemporary styled tubular chair, take a moment to raise your glass to Mr. Breuer, a true pioneer of the modern home.
