Conchoidal Chair with Arms (Perspective sketches)
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
American, born Germany. 1886–1969
early 1940s
A small pencil-on-paper study by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe that sketches a low, curving armchair, intended to explore proportions and the flowing ‘conchoidal’ contours of seat and arms.
What strikes you is the economy of the quick, gestural strokes—soft, repeated curves carve out a shell-like seat and delicate legs so the chair feels like it is emerging from the paper rather than being fully resolved.
These working sketches reveal how Mies used drawing to negotiate between his spare modernist vocabulary and a more sculptural, ergonomic approach to furniture that influenced mid‑century seating design.
Medium
Pencil on paper
Dimensions
6 x 8 1/4" (15.2 x 21 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Mies van der Rohe Archive, gift of the architect
Accession
1091.1974
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
