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Avant-Garde Cantilever Armchair by SAB, Prague – Design by Josef Havlíček
$8,989.62
£6,724.83
€7,500
CA$12,376.81
A$13,544.93
CHF 7,157.31
MX$161,667.68
NOK 91,336.14
SEK 83,534.34
DKK 57,141.53
About the Item
Avant-Garde Cantilever Armchair by SAB, Prague, ca. 1932 – Design by Josef Havlíček
This avant-garde cantilever armchair was produced around 1932 by the Prague-based manufacturer SAB, following a design by Czech architect Josef Havlíček, one of the leading figures of Prague Modernism. The chair belongs to the most experimental seating concepts developed within the Czechoslovak avant-garde during the early 1930s.
The structure is composed of nickel-plated flat steel combined with nickel-plated tubular steel, creating a sharply architectural and technically expressive silhouette. While conceptually related to early flat-steel cantilever experiments, the design shows an additional layer of architectural thinking that differs from Western European variants.
A notable parallel can be drawn to Mies van der Rohe’s Brno Chair (1929–30): both share the idea of reduced structure, continuous steel flow, and the translation of architectural clarity into furniture. Yet Havlíček’s version pushes the concept toward a more technical and construction-driven language — less polished, more experimental, and deeply rooted in the functionalist spirit of Prague’s interwar avant-garde.
A comparable example of this typology was featured in the exhibition
“Hej Rup! Czech Avant-Garde in the Context of European Modernism”,
Bröhan Museum, Berlin, underscoring its museal relevance.
For presentation, the armchair was re-upholstered using historical, intentionally patinated leather, closely aligned with period materiality. The warm, tactile surface provides a balanced contrast to the cool, matured nickel finish of the steel frame.
This chair stands as a highly characteristic document of Prague functionalism, early modern steel furniture, and Central European avant-garde design. Its rarity, authorship, and formal experimentation make it suitable for advanced private collections as well as institutional contexts.
Literature:
Hej Rup! Die tschechische Avantgarde im Kontext der Europäischen Moderne, Deutscher Kunstverlag, Cat. no. 38, p. 76 (related typology combining flat steel and round tube).
- Dimensions:Height: 28.75 in (73 cm)Width: 22.45 in (57 cm)Depth: 26.78 in (68 cm)
- Style:Bauhaus (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930
- Condition:Reupholstered. Minor fading. Overall Condition: Very good vintage condition. Frame: Nickel-plated flat steel and tubular steel with fine, even, matured patina. Structurally sound; excellent cantilever dynamics; no structural weaknesses. Minimal restoration.
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU10689247950442
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