- Kacy Middleton
UPSET CHICAGO: THE MODERN CHAIR AT SAIC
Rudolph Schindler. Wilshire Medical Office Side Chair, about 1943
Following the opening of the 2016 exhibition highlighting the design history of the chair,
SAIC (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) acquired their first permanent collection of 20th-21st century furniture - developing their acquisitions in architecture and design.
"The exhibit features furniture starting in the Machine Age, highlighting a move from carpenters to industrial designers in the furniture industry.
During this time, the chair became more than a utilitarian object. Architects and Designers began seeing the chair as an opportunity for engineering. It became a means for material exploration and the study of the human body. Tubular steel, plywood, and fiberglass began to have a role in furniture. “The Modern Chair” features famed chairs from Charles and Ray Eames, Charlotte Perriand, Harry Bertoia, and Le Corbusier, all of whom contributed to a new, modern, ideal."
