GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Designed and manufactured by Frank O. Gehry in 1972, this chair belongs to his "Easy Edges" collection - group of seventeen pieces of cardboard furniture which brought the young architect national attention. Constructed from layers of corrugated cardboard (a low-cost shipping material), this chair embodies the combined aesthetic of its raw, ordinary, and "low-brow" material, with Gehry's modern, geometric design.
Gehry recounts how he came to the idea, "One day I saw a pile of corrugated cardboard outside of my office - the material which I prefer for building architecture models - and I began to play with it into shapes with a hand saw and a pocket knife." The result was a surprisingly sturdy piece of industrial, yet ecologically aware furniture, which through its use, developed a sumptuous, velvety texture. Gehry's early experimentation with furniture design and preoccupation with process cemented his reputation as an innovator in the field of modern architecture.
Excerpt from
DMA Label copy, n.d.
NOTES
Drawn from
Joseph Giovannini, "Edges, Easy and Experimental" in The Architecture of Frank Gehry. (New York: Rizzoli International, 1986), 63.
Before Frank O. Gehry became an internationally sought-after and prolific architect, he launched the Easy Edge chair series constructed from laminated cardboard. He chose a raw, difficult material, one with the connotation of cheapness, and transformed it into a highly studied and refined piece of art. He said, "even though I often put as much detail work into what I do as anyone, it always appears casual. That's the edge I'm after." As in much of his work, the 'Easy Edges' pieces had an underlying implication of social responsibility: Gehry had delivered good design at an accessible price.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1998: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased at auction, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction, May 17, 1998, lot 205, as "Frank Gehry 'Easy Edges' lounge chair"
AUDIO ASSETS
- 13310560: UMO. Listen to a gallery talk in Form/Unformed given by Kevin W. Tucker, Curator of Decorative Arts and Design.
- 267026258: UMO. Listen to a gallery talk in Form/Unformed given by Heather Bowling, Digitial Content Coordinator for Decorative Arts.
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- MoMA~See other Gehry Easy Edges chairs at MoMA.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
After only three months on the market, and as sales peaked, Gehry withdrew the Easy Edges line, explaining: "I started to feel threatened; I locked myself into a room for weeks to question my life. I decided I'm an architect, not a furniture designer. I'm not going to go that way. I called a halt."
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1998.114
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Designed and manufactured by Frank O. Gehry in 1972, this chair belongs to his "Easy Edges" collection - group of seventeen pieces of cardboard furniture which brought the young architect national attention. Constructed from layers of corrugated cardboard (a low-cost shipping material), this chair embodies the combined aesthetic of its raw, ordinary, and "low-brow" material, with Gehry's modern, geometric design.
Gehry recounts how he came to the idea, "One day I saw a pile of corrugated cardboard outside of my office - the material which I prefer for building architecture models - and I began to play with it into shapes with a hand saw and a pocket knife." The result was a surprisingly sturdy piece of industrial, yet ecologically aware furniture, which through its use, developed a sumptuous, velvety texture. Gehry's early experimentation with furniture design and preoccupation with process cemented his reputation as an innovator in the field of modern architecture.
Excerpt from
DMA Label copy, n.d.
Fun Facts
After only three months on the market, and as sales peaked, Gehry withdrew the Easy Edges line, explaining: "I started to feel threatened; I locked myself into a room for weeks to question my life. I decided I'm an architect, not a furniture designer. I'm not going to go that way. I called a halt."
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
Drawn from
Joseph Giovannini, "Edges, Easy and Experimental" in The Architecture of Frank Gehry. (New York: Rizzoli International, 1986), 63.
Before Frank O. Gehry became an internationally sought-after and prolific architect, he launched the Easy Edge chair series constructed from laminated cardboard. He chose a raw, difficult material, one with the connotation of cheapness, and transformed it into a highly studied and refined piece of art. He said, "even though I often put as much detail work into what I do as anyone, it always appears casual. That's the edge I'm after." As in much of his work, the 'Easy Edges' pieces had an underlying implication of social responsibility: Gehry had delivered good design at an accessible price.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1998: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased at auction, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction, May 17, 1998, lot 205, as "Frank Gehry 'Easy Edges' lounge chair"
AUDIO ASSETS
- 13310560: UMO. Listen to a gallery talk in Form/Unformed given by Kevin W. Tucker, Curator of Decorative Arts and Design.
- 267026258: UMO. Listen to a gallery talk in Form/Unformed given by Heather Bowling, Digitial Content Coordinator for Decorative Arts.
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1998.114
source file
object_notes_2_d-0174.xml.nores