Eero Saarinen for Knoll Pair of ‘Conference’ Armchairs of UNESCO Paris

Eero Saarinen for Knoll International, pair of ‘Conference’ armchairs, fabric, lacquered steel, France, Paris, designed in 1957

These armchairs were commissioned by the UNESCO Headquarters located in Paris. This iconic building was completed on 3 November 1958 by a team of three leading architects of that time: Bernard Zehrfuss, Marcel Breuer, and Pier Luigi Nervi. The Advisory Committee of Architects chaired by Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, to name a few, were involved in the development of the architectural process. This set of chairs were part of the auditorium. This model features a sled base based on a trapezoidal shape, and, therefore, differs from his well-known ‘Conference’ chair introduced in 1946. The back has an open structure and runs smoothly into the armrests, creating nice comfort for the arms. The seat is upholstered in the original fabric embodying a checkered pattern of black and white small squares. In total, only 800 of this model were produced exclusively for the project, furnishing the main conference room and certain work areas in the building. Underneath each armchair, a small label with an UNESCO serial number is attached. Please note that we have a large amount of these chairs available, a great option to furnish a larger space or project.

Knoll International was founded in New York by the 26 year old German Hans Knoll (1914-1955) in 1938. Hans' father, Walter Knoll, was a true modernist and furniture manufacturer who had a reputation for quality. When Hans Knoll died at a young age his wife Florence Knoll took over and under her influence the company flourished and created its best designs. She designed and led the company where she cooperated with talented designers such as Eero Saarinen, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Richard Schultz and Harry Bertoia.

Eero Saarinen (1910-1961) was a Finnish-American architect who helped to shape the American postwar architecture of progression and optimism. Saarinen designed several airports and worked for large corporate clients such as IBM and General Motors. This meant that the identity of Saarinen's architecture went hand in hand with the identity of these companies. His design was also used in many companies and homes and thus helped to shape the aesthetic landscape of the United States in the 1950s and 1960s.

Kindly note that the current fabric is used condition with stains and tears. The depicted photographs show an example of the way these chairs can be tailored to specific wishes of our clients. We kindly ask you to contact our design experts to discuss your wishes regarding upholstery and finishing. Your special requests can be realized by the experienced craftspeople in our own in-house restoration and upholstery atelier. With high attention to the original, they make sure every piece retains its value and is ready for the many years to come. Please note that custom-made reupholstered chairs has a lead-time of twelve to fourteen weeks. All to meet our high-quality standards.

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