Conchoidal Chair without Arms (Perspective and elevation)
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
American, born Germany. 1886–1969
early 1940s
A quick pencil sketch by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe of a low, armless “conchoidal” chair, exploring a single flowing, shell-like seat and sculptural base.
Spare graphite lines describe a sensuous, concave seat whose sweeping curves and pierced corners read like a small architectural bridge, with a miniature elevation beneath that clarifies the design’s measured logic.
The drawing captures Mies’s move to translate architectural principles into furniture—paring a chair down to essential curves and structural gestures that helped define mid‑century modernism’s clarity and industrial elegance.
Medium
Pencil on paper
Dimensions
6 x 8 1/8" (15.2 x 20.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Mies van der Rohe Archive, gift of the architect
Accession
1075.1974
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
