Conchoidal Chair without Arms (Elevation sketches)
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
American, born Germany. 1886–1969
early 1940s
An ink-on-paper elevation study by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe that explores the flowing silhouette and structural logic of a low, armless conchoidal chair.
On a spare sheet three side-view sketches—two boldly hatched in ink and a faint pencil variant—present a sinuous, wave-like seat and back drawn as a continuous, curving profile set on a strict horizontal baseline.
The drawing shows Mies applying architectural reduction to furniture—paring a chair to a single continuous volume—and helped shape modernist furniture’s emphasis on purity of line, structural clarity, and production-minded design.
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
6 x 8 1/4" (15.2 x 20.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Mies van der Rohe Archive, gift of the architect
Accession
1087.1974
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
