Marcel Breuer designed this chair before his architectural career really took off. The most striking parts of the chair are the long lengths of chromed tubular steel, which provide both the chair’s structure and much of its look. The cantilever support and use of modern industrial-looking material were revolutionary at the time. Though the hard look of the steel is softened by the cane and beech seat and back, the chair does not borrow from past styles. Versions of Breuer’s chair are still in production.

Breuer was trained and taught at the Bauhaus, the famous design school which promoted clean, simple, functional design and the use of standard, pre-fabricated materials and components. Like the chair, the Modern movement in architecture also eliminated moulding and ornament in favour of emphasising the surface finish of materials.

Breuer also worked on a number of architecture projects during a long career in Europe and America, including the UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France.