Meet Marcel Breuer, the Bauhaus genius who revolutionized furniture
When a chair becomes an icon
There are few furniture designers as recognizable as Marcel Lajos Breuer (pronounced Broy-er). Whether or not you know him by name (or how to say it), you have come across his influence in the spaces around us. Breuer’s designs have inspired everything from movie sets to tattoos. At Oliver Space, we’ve even named our bestselling Breuer collection in homage to this renowned designer.
Who is Marcel Breuer?
Marcel Breuer was born in Hungary in 1902, at a time when furniture was characterized by ornamental embellishments and heavy wooden structures. When he was 18 years old, he moved to Vienna to study painting at the Academy of Fine Arts. He quickly grew impatient with the emphasis on theoretical instead of hands-on learning, and dropped out of school.
After a stint working alongside a cabinetmaker in Vienna, Breuer became one of the youngest students at the Bauhaus, a radical new school of art and design in Germany. From 1920 to 1928, he studied, and later taught, Bauhaus’s principles of design that married aesthetic beauty with functionality and reproducibility. Breuer’s innovative creations helped Bauhaus become the most renowned modernist art school of the 20th century.
Ok but seriously, what’s the big deal with Breuer?
It all started when Breuer purchased an Adler bicycle to get himself around Germany while studying at the Bauhaus. He was inspired by the lightweight steel and bent shape of the handlebars to create one of his most famous designs, the Wassily chair, in 1925. This design was a sharp departure from the thick upholstery and clunky wood of traditional furniture, bringing physical and visual lightness into home decor.
He continued to explore the possibilities of tubular steel furniture with the cantilever Cesca chair (1928), named after his daughter Francesca. The sleek design was revolutionary in its use of industrial materials and processes that made it easy to mass produce. The frame was a single bent piece of steel that made the sitter appear to float in midair. These designs were so groundbreaking that the original Wassily and Cesca chairs can be found on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MoMA in New York City.
Breuer’s influence extends beyond interiors to modern architecture. After running a private architecture practice in Europe for 10 years, Breuer moved to Cambridge to teach at Harvard University. He collaborated with the founder of Bauhaus, Walter Gropius, to create remarkable buildings that combined Bauhaus internationalism with New England regional architecture. In 1946, he moved to New York to continue his architecture practice, focusing on imposing concrete compositions. The Whitney Museum of American Art he designed is often referred to as The Met Breuer. His lasting influence on architecture can be seen throughout the United States today.
Breuer’s obsession with modern minimalism and functional structure ushered in a new era of design. He used industrial technology to bring beautiful and affordable furniture to the masses. Now, everyone can have a work of Breuer’s art in their homes.
I want it! Where can I find Breuer’s furniture?
Our Chapin Dining Chair is a version of Breuer’s famous Cesca chair with armrests for extra comfort. For those who want a slightly moodier look, the Jamie Dining Chair pairs the same cantilever design with black metal and vegan leather.
If you can’t get enough of Bauhaus aesthetics, check out the nesting Felice Side Table, Gabo Floor Lamp, and Miro Table Lamp with their sleek and simple silhouettes.
