Conchoidal Chair without Arms (Elevation sketches)
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
American, born Germany. 1886–1969
early 1940s
A pencil-on-paper design study by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe exploring a single, sculptural "conchoidal" lounge-chair form without arms, aiming to unify seat, back, and base into one flowing, rocklike silhouette.
Two side-by-side profile elevations immediately command attention, their sinuous outlines, an elliptical void, and quick contour shading suggesting a carved, tactile volume set against the spare sheet.
The drawing shows Mies extending modernist discipline into organic, free-form furniture in the early 1940s, linking architectural thinking with sculptural seating and anticipating later monolithic and biomorphic directions in modern design.
Medium
Pencil on paper
Dimensions
6 x 8 3/16" (15.2 x 20.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Mies van der Rohe Archive, gift of the architect
Accession
1117.1974
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
