Robert Venturi
American architect, born 1925; American architect, born 1931; American furniture manufacturer, founded 1938
Chippendale Style Side Chair
Designed 1979/84, produced 1984/89
Plywood and plastic laminate
34 1/4 x 23 1/4 x 23 1/2 inches (86.995 x 59.055 x 59.69 centimeters)
Gift of Knoll International, 1990.
1990.023.000

Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown are Philadelphia architects whose modern work often incorporates historical symbolism. This chair was designed to be fabricated using industrial methods and modern materials, but its form and surface pattern defy the modernist rejection of artistic tradition. Its shape refers to the traditional Chippendale chair, and its laminated surface is patterned after an old-fashioned tablecloth. Multiple historical references are a hallmark of the Postmodern movement, which was popular at the end of the twentieth century.