• Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
  • Pretzel Chair
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Pretzel Chair

George Nelson , 1952

George Nelson (1908–1986) is regarded as one of the most important and influential figures in American post‑war design. In 1952, his New York studio developed a chair made of moulded plywood, initially referred to as the Laminated Chair. The distinctive curve of its backrest and armrests, however, soon earned it the nickname Pretzel Chair. Owing to the limitations of manufacturing technologies at the time, the complex design proved difficult to produce and was withdrawn from the programme after only a few years—making it a sought‑after collector’s item today.

To mark Nelson’s 100th birthday, Vitra launched a limited re‑edition of 1,000 numbered chairs in 2008. Advances in manufacturing technology made it possible to preserve the chair’s organic form while optimising its structural stability. Today, the Pretzel Chair is considered a highly desirable collector’s piece, and the re‑edition represents an important milestone in the history of Mid‑Century design. The example offered in this auction bears the number 1/1000.

First Design

1952

Production Year

2008

Edition

1,000 copies

Edition Number

1/1,000

Material

Bent plywood, veneer

Dimensions

approx. H 73 × W 50 × D 48 cm

This auction has ended.

George Nelson

George Nelson

George Nelson (born 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died 1986 in New York, USA) studied architecture at Yale University. In 1944, he became Design Director at Herman Miller. Holding this position until 1972, he emerged as a key figure in American design and brought Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi and Alexander Girard to Herman Miller. In 1957, Vitra founder Willi Fehlbaum concluded his first licensing agreement with Herman Miller for furniture production in Europe. Over the decades of collaboration with Vitra, a close friendship developed between George Nelson and Rolf Fehlbaum.

Since 1947, Nelson ran his own design studio, George Nelson Associates Inc., developing projects and objects in collaboration with highly regarded colleagues. Several of these works are now considered icons of Mid‑Century Modern design.

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