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Jan Vanek Chairs

Czechoslovakian, 1891-1962

Elegance describes the designs of Jan Vanek.

Influenced by his family’s furniture company, Vandek studied woodworking. Following a stint in Germany, where he advanced his skills at established firms in Munich, Stuttgart and Heilbronn, he returned home to the former Czechoslovakia and took over the family business, which in 1920 became known as Spojené Uměleckoprůmyslové Závody, or UP Závody.

Vanek's early friendships and collaborations with architectural and design greats like Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Adolf Loos and others likely had much to do with his graceful style, best exemplified by his 1930s bentwood chairs, with the arabesque curves of their arms and legs conjoining to form open, dynamic loops.

True to Czech standards for uniformity, Vanek scarcely altered the design over decades of production, though he did gradually modernize his frames: His 1950s models are more angular, industrialized — and very definitely modern.

Find a collection of vintage Jan Vanek furniture today on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Jan Vanek
Mid Century Armchairs / Easy Chairs by Jan Vanek for ULUV Czechoslovakia, 1950s
By Jan Vanek, ULUV Krásná jizba
Located in Lucenec, SK
The armchairs were designed in the 1950s by the Czech architect Ján Vanek for the ULUV (headquarters of Folk Art) in Czechoslovakia. The armchairs were in the inventory of Czechoslov...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Jan Vanek Chairs

Materials

Beech

Mid Century Armchairs / Easy Chairs by Jan Vanek for ULUV Czechoslovakia, 1950s
By ULUV Krásná jizba, Jan Vanek
Located in Lucenec, SK
The armchairs were designed in the 1950s by the Czech architect Ján Vanek for the ULUV (headquarters of Folk Art) in Czechoslovakia. The armchairs were in the inventory of Czechoslov...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Jan Vanek Chairs

Materials

Beech

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Jan Vanek chairs for sale on 1stDibs.

Jan Vanek chairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Jan Vanek chairs, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider chairs by Jiri Jiroutek, Jindrich Halabala, and Fredrik A. Kayser. Prices for Jan Vanek chairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $3,882 and can go as high as $4,009, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,945.

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