Armchair

Frank Lloyd WrightWW-1937-048096

1937·Steel and maple, with original upholstery (later laminated surface)·85.7 × 60.3 × 54.6 cm (34 3/4 × 23 3/4 × 21 1/2 in.)

<p>When businessman H. F. Johnson Jr. set out to build new offices for the S. C. Johnson company in Racine, Wisconsin, he wanted “to get the greatest architect in the world.” To him, that was Frank Lloyd Wright, renowned for his designs based on the principles of nature that integrated exterior, interior, and furnishings. The curved forms and earth tones of this armchair and <a href="https://www.artic.edu/artworks/38877/desk">desk</a> (1972.310) echo Wright’s architectural designs for the project, which included rounded brick buildings filled with columns that widened as they reached the ceiling. Although Wright was known for resisting changes to his designs, this three-legged chair proved unsteady and he altered later versions to have four feet.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1937
Medium: Steel and maple, with original upholstery (later laminated surface)
Dimensions: 85.7 × 60.3 × 54.6 cm (34 3/4 × 23 3/4 × 21 1/2 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Frank Lloyd Wright

Artist

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect whose designs fundamentally reshaped residential and civic building in the twentieth century. He developed the concept of organic architecture, integrating structures with their natural surroundings through innovative use of cantilevers, open floor plans, and locally sourced materials. His projects ranged from the Prairie School houses of Chicago to Fallingwater in Pennsylvania and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, each demonstrating a conviction that buildings should grow from their sites rather than impose upon them. His influence extends across modernism, landscape integration, and spatial planning.

Chicago, IL, USA

Full artist profile →