Handkerchief Prototype For A Chair

Italian-born husband-and-wife design team Massimo and Lella Vignelli founded Vignelli Associates in New York in 1971, after ten years of collaborating together. Though Massimo in particular is known primarily as a graphic designer—including of subway signs and maps, corporate logos, publications, and shopping bags—his reach has extended into interiors and products, from stackable dinnerware to minimalist tables and chairs. The Handkerchief Chair, designed with David Law, echoes the fragility of a handkerchief in its visual lightness and form—which has ergonomic sensibilities—but, perhaps ironically, is made to be durable and long-lasting. Named for its resemblance to a handkerchief floating in air, the chair is also a tribute to designer Paolo Venini, who designed a “Handkerchief” vase in 1948. It is characteristic of the couple’s refined minimalism, which they articulated in their design manifesto: “We despise the culture of obsolescence, the culture of waste, the cult of the ephemeral…We are for a Design that lasts, that responds to people's needs and to people's wants.” The stackable chairs, still manufactured and sold today, are available in a variety of colors and with or without arm rests. Together, Massimo and Lella received Cooper Hewitt’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

Handkerchief Prototype For A Chair; Designed by Massimo Vignelli (Italian, active USA, 1931–2014), Lella Vignelli (Italian, 1934 - 2016); Design Team Member: David Law (American, b. 1937); Manufactured by Knoll Textiles (United States); USA; bent enamelled tubular metal, composition; H x W x D: 74.1 x 52.4 x 49.5 cm (29 3/16 x 20 5/8 x 19 1/2 in.); Gift of The Knoll Group; 1991-118-1