A 811 Chair by Josef Hoffmann & Oswald Haerdtl for Thonet

Designed by Josef Hoffmann together with his longtime partner Oswald Haerdtl in 1929–30 and produced by Thonet, the A 811 was presented at the 1930 exhibition of the Austrian Werkbund in Vienna. It is one of the defining bentwood chairs of Viennese modernism. The armchair version of the design is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The chair belongs to the the Wiener Werkbundsiedlung. Built under the direction of Josef Frank and opened in 1932, the estate brought together more than thirty architects, among them Adolf Loos, Richard Neutra and Gerrit Rietveld, to demonstrate modern, affordable living in 70 fully furnished houses. Hoffmann contributed four houses to the project. Like the estate itself, the A 811 stands for the Werkbund's ambition to bring well-designed, industrially produced objects into everyday life. The chair translates Thonet's steam-bent beech into a strictly modern language. Straight, slightly tapering legs, a clear rectilinear frame and a curved backrest pierced by a grid of circular openings give the A 811 its unmistakable graphic quality, at once rational and playful. This example retains its original red colour, which makes it extremely rare. It has been restored by a specialist and refinished in oil lacquer, faithful to the original finish, and bears the Thonet label beneath the seat. Condition: Professionally restored, refinished in oil lacquer as originally Material: Bent beech, red oil lacquer (original colour) Designer: Josef Hoffmann & Oswald Haerdtl Model: A 811 Manufacturer: Thonet Design year: 1929–30 Dimensions: 51 × 52 × 75 cm, seat height 40.5 cm Literature: Christopher Wilk, in: Bent Wood and Metal Furniture 1850–1946, New York 1986, p. 144. Eva B. Ottillinger, Gebrüder Thonet. Möbel aus gebogenem Holz, Vienna 2003, p. 48. Collections: The Museum of Modern Art, New York (armchair version, inv. no. 237.1994).