Barcelona Chair

German American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created the Barcelona chair in 1929 when he was selected to design the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona. “He conceived the chairs and stools as a resting place for the King and Queen of Spain. We think he based the designs on the campaign chairs of Ancient Rome with their signature crisscross frames,” says Enrico Colzani, head of MillerKnoll global contract marketing and Knoll brand president, of the leather-and-chrome seat, which is currently produced by Knoll. Novel for its incorporation of Industrial Age materials, “the Barcelona chair exudes a simple elegance that epitomizes Mies van der Rohe’s most famous ‘less is more’ approach.” Alexandra Schwartz, curator of modern and contemporary art, craft, and design at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design adds, “It is also supremely comfortable, making it equally at home in corporate waiting rooms and private homes.”