Contemporary Art & Design presents Jonas Bohlin | October 27–28
The epitome of a Swedish design classic is arguably Jonas Bohlin's armchair "Concrete." As part of the designer's thesis project "Labyrinth Formula" at Konstfack in 1981, the chair became the figurehead of the era's liberation from the functional constraints that had characterized furniture design in the preceding decades.
Many were captivated by Bohlin's pioneering design, including Sven Lundh, then CEO of the furniture manufacturer Källemo. A collaboration was initiated, and the chair went into production in Värnamo. It was named “Concrete”, and the edition in concrete and iron was limited to 100 copies. A variant in wood and iron was also produced in an unlimited edition. Lundh's idea of producing furniture in limited editions was a way to blur the boundaries between art and utility objects. "Concrete" subsequently received the "Excellent Swedish Design" award from Svensk Form in 1983.
The present "Concrete" chair comes from the collection of designer Jan Hellzén. Born in Stockholm in 1938, Hellzén grew up in a family of furniture retailers. He worked at IKEA during the 1970s and 1980s, there designing the acclaimed and enduring LACK table and LACK shelf. He later founded his own company, Jan Hellzén Design, in 1987. His work is represented in the collection of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.
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