Vodöl Armchair

Description

Coop Himmelblau has aimed not only to lighten and dematerialize architecture but also to blur the boundaries between design and art. This piece unhinges and deconstructs Le Corbusier’s iconic Fauteuil Grand Comfort Chair (1928) by placing the seat on a repurposed I beam. Aligned with the Deconstructivist principles of asymmetry, contradiction, and unsettlement, Vodöl has been interpreted as a satire of modern furniture. Its name—after the word in the Viennese dialect for armchair, which in French is fauteuil—reinforces the connection to Le Corbusier.

Vodöl Armchair

Coop Himmelblau

1989

Accession Number

120078

Medium

Painted steel, chromed tubular steel, and vinyl upholstery

Dimensions

82.5 × 195.5 × 106.7 cm (32 1/2 × 77 × 42 in.)

Classification

chair

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Gordon L. Pirie and Mrs. Joseph T. Zoline