MARCEL BREUER

MARCEL BREUER

SUMMERY

This Report will be covering aspects of construction and development of the B3 chair developed by Marcel Breuer during his time in the Bauhaus. The report contains information on Marcel and the Bauhaus. There is also detailed information from where the inspirations came from.

INTRODUCTION

This report is going to be looking at Marcel Breuer and the Bauhaus. It will be looking at the different methods he used and ideas behind them. Marcel was well known for his work in the Bauhaus, his beliefs on design can still be seen today. Marcel was responsible for a wide range of design icons. This report is going to be looking at one of the first tubular steel chairs, named the Wassily chair. The report is going to be looking at where he got his inspiration for such a radical and new concept. The target market if there was one, where he resourced his materials and why he used them.

The report will consider the affect that this chair had on the world of design at the time and the impact it had on the current designs. The chair attracted and expanded on the current trend that was starting to take hold in the 20th century.

The objective of the report will be to identify and research a design icon. In this case Marcel Breur and his chair the B3. Information for this report will be sourced from the internet and books.

WHO IS MARCEL BREUER?

Marcel Breuer was born on the 21st May 1902 in Hungary. He first studied in Vienna but he was said to be "unhappy with the institution". This is what made Marcel move to the Bauhaus in Germany. The School was a new and revolutionary idea. During his time at the school Marcel completed an apprenticeship. Once he had gained his qualifications and a developing portfolio that included "the African chair and the Slatted Chair" it was time for Marcel to move onto his first job. He joined an Architect’s office where he worked hard and moved up the ranks very quickly. By the end of the first year he was known as a 'Young Master'. During h is time at the office he helped to develop a number of "modular or unit constructions" From this point Marcel continued to produce a number of well known and inspired works of design.

WHAT IS THE BAUHAUS?

The Bauhaus is responsible for some of the more innovating styles in design. It developed its own ideology that was well known across the world. It helped a large number of people develop and become some of the most influential designers in the 20th century.

The Bauhaus did not just focus on chairs, it focused on all aspects of design from textiles to fine art and building design. The Bauhaus "almost stood alone in asking how the modernisation process could be mastered by means of design". The school was meant to be the "centre of new social and political ideas". The Bauhaus was starting again from the befinning, taking people back to the developing there skills. All students that started would have to have one year learning crafts to develop their skills so that students would be able to express their ideas.

The Bauhaus had a lots of functions from being school to being a "productive workshop" if you were a student at the school you would of had access to a "carpenter's workshop, a metal workshop, a pottery in Dornburg, facilities for painting on glass, mural painting, waving, printing, wood and stone sculpting". The large range of facilities that were available helped students to progress and become masters in their speciality.

WASSILY CHAIR

The Wassily chair was one of the first tubular steel chairs and became a success before it was even mass produced. Marcel's inspiration for this chair did not come from any other designer or forms of art. When Marcel relocated in 1925 he brought his bicycle. "He was remembered by many as spending a great deal of time riding around the city". Marcel noticed that the materials that were used to make a bike where light but very strong - perfect for a chair.

Marcel tried to market the idea to the Adler Company, but they were not interested in the idea. He was not deterred by the lack of interest. He went direct the metal works and ordered tubular rods so that he would be able to make the chair on his own. To assist him in the construction he hired a plumber to help with the welding. "Who better to work with the tube".

The start of the construction of the Wassily Chair was in the spring in 1925. Marcel did not know where to start. "In fact, I took the pipe dimensions (approximately twenty millimetres in diameter) from my bicycle. I didn't know where else to get it or how to figure it out".

One of the things that made the chair so amazing at the time was the combination of materials. Most, if not all chairs during this time period were very big and generally made from wood. Chairs had never been made from steel. B3 also had canvas to support the body. Some of the first models were created with horse hair in the canvas. The horse hair was “finely woven” this had the “appearance of a shiny, metallic canvas”. Horse hair was used because it was much stronger than the traditional standard canvas available then. Another good quality of horse hair was that it did not lose its shape or deform easily. When the chair was put into production it was not clear if they actually did use the horse hair or if it was changed to reinforced canvas.

The B3 paved the way for the design and construction of many other chairs in a similar fashion. Marcel was responsible for a range of different designs that followed the same trend as the B3. Marcel also created a chair that its overall effect almost appears to be hovering in the air”. From the B3 there was a new family of chairs. The B4 similar to the B3, then a range of theatre seating marked as the B1. Marcel had created an army of chairs taking the world by storm.

It has been stated that the B3 and its brothers did not belong to the “Breuer maintained that these designs were developed independently of the new Bauhaus”. The Bauhaus did have an effect on the construction and design of the chair and it would be safe to say that this chair would not exist with the school.

The B3 was called the Wassily Chair because of Wassily Wasilyevich Kandinsky but this name was only assigned in 1960. Wassily was a major player in the chair’s success. Kandinsky was at the Bauhaus at the same time as Marcel and it is said that Kandinsky encouraged Marcel to pursue his dream of constructing this chair. This is why the B3 is now called the Kandinsky Chair. Although Kandinsky was an art teacher he still had a profound influence on the development of Marcel.

There are now many copies of the B3 available on the market. Marcel did make a limited set for people that were interested when he was trying to develop it. Now the main producer of the chair is a company called Nnoll.

CONCLUSION

The B3 was Marcel’s work but it has been developed through its exposure of new materials that were present at the time. It was a new idea but it was not one hundred percent original. The ideas that lead to its construction were pulled from different products that were readily available at the time. It could be argued that it was what made the chair such a success. Marcel was an amazing designer and his work has had an amazing impact on today’s society.

Although the chair was not a product of the Bauhaus it was the birth place. The inspiration that Marcel got was procured at his time at the school. The teachers were there to support him and in the end pushed him to try and market it. Now the B3 Wassily Chair is one of the most iconic chairs in the world. Its simplicity hailed the way for the future.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Book Sources

Christopher Wil (1981). Marcel Breuer Furniture and Interiors, The Architectural Press.

Hans M. Wingler (1962) The Bauhaus, The MIT Press.

Internet Sources.

http://www.wassilykandinsky.net

http://www.design-technology.org/wassilychair.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpxscfYHUzs

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/kandinsk.htm

http://www.bauhaus-dessau.de.index.php?history

http://www.design-texhnology.org/MarcelBreuer.html

http://www.marcelbreuer.org/Biography.html

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/easterngermany/Weimar/Bauhaus.html