Rare and important modernist armchair in oak and black-stained oak.

Circa 1924.

Height: 85.2 cm – Width: 70.5 cm – Depth: 55.5 cm

History:  

Chief architect and urban planner for the city of Haarlem (Netherlands)  from 1902 to 1930, Lucas Christiaan Dumont was one of the  most prominent representatives of modern architecture in the Netherlands, alongside Hendrik Petrus Berlage in Amsterdam and Willem Marinus Dudok in Hilversum.  The only known example to date, this armchair is a historic piece from the Dutch avant-garde movements Nieuwe Bouwen & De Stijl, which were essential sources of inspiration for the Bauhaus and modernist architecture of the 1930s.  A very similar model in oak and brown leather furnished the Wethouderskamer (literally Chamber of Lawmakers or Chamber of Aldermen) of Haarlem City Hall, whose modernization and design were successfully entrusted to Dumont around 1925.   It should be noted that Dutch creations and experiments from 1915 to 1930 had a profound influence on modernism throughout the 20th century. 

Archives and related work:   

Noord-Hollands Archief, Haarlem – Our armchair is similar to the model made for Haarlem City Hall, reproduced in period photographs held by this institution under inventory numbers 14558 and 14559 .

Exhibition and related work:  

Dumont 1902-1930, Markante Architectuur en Stedenbouw in Haarlem – Hoofdwacht, Haarlem, April 29 to September 30, 2017. A period photograph depicting the model of the Wethouderskamer, exhibited at this event.

Bibliography:   

Wim Cerutti – Het stadhuis van Haarlem: hart van de stad –  Gottmer/Schuyt Publishers, Haarlem, 2001. The model of the Wethouderskamer reproduced on page 398.