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Jindřich Halabala | Modernist Adjustable Chair | UP Závody (The Associated Arts and Crafts Enterprises) | 1930 | Banded Wood | 80 x 68 x 88 cm | Functionalism | Modernism | Furniture, Furniture | Seating | Antiques |
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The chair is one of the three types of adjustable chairs designed at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s by Jindřich Halaba for the Brno Associated Arts and Crafts Enterprises (Spojené uměleckoprůmyslové závody, famed under the legendary abbreviation UP). Contrary to the rather Functionalist H 70 and H 74 types, the shape of this present example professes the Art Deco style as is especially apparent from the arched rear legs. The tilt of the backrest can be adjusted into three levels with the help of notches situated in the prolonged hand supports which arch from the rib. Various variants of this principle were employed from the late 19th century, especially in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. The surface of the chair is covered with walnut veneer. The upholstering is removable and, equally as the skeleton, underwent demanding restoration with the use of upholstering fabric from the Osborne & Little company. During the 1930s, chairs from this series of stream-lined chairs became one of the most successful models produced by the UP company. Recently, the original specimens have become highly sought-for and increasingly rare articles due to their timeless elegance and the comfort they provide. The basis of the chair always is the veneered frame (walnut wood), formed by identical sides of bent wood onto which five various (four adjustable and one fixed) seating parts with a backrest were mounted. To the backrest, stainless-steel adjustable mechanism, allowing for adjusting three levels of both the seating part and the backrest, was fixed. The upholstering is two removable pillows. The finish of the frame is colorless semimatte varnish. The pillows are of high-quality polyurethane foam coated with firm upholstering fabric (Osborne & Little).
