René Herbst French modern rubber, nickel, bent-wood "Sandows" armchair, 1930. Establishments René Herbst. This listing is for a single chair.

Most known for his work with the modern movement and Union Des Artistes Modernes (UAM), French designer René Herbst began his prolific career as a furniture designer and interior decorator in Paris in 1919. In 1925 René Herbst designed several exhibition stalls for the Paris "Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes" and in 1927 René Herbst designed the revolutionary (in both function and aesthetic) "Chaise Sandows" seat furniture, nickel-plated tubular steel frames, with seats and backs made of rubber strips stretched taut and fastened to the frame by hooks. René Herbst first showed his "Chaise Sandows" at the 1929 Salon d'Automne, where Le Corbusier also presented furniture with tubular steel frames.

This rare armchair version with gorgeous bentwood armrests was made in 1930 and is documented in the Herbst literature. See below. 1930 was an important year for Herbst, as he co-founded the Union Des Artistes Modernes (UAM) - a large group of artists and designers committed to Modernism and opposed to the popular Art Deco style of the time - which they considered to be overloaded with decoration and "too ornamental." By 1945, René Herbst was elected chairman of the UAM gewählt. The UAM mounted exhibitions in Paris under the heading of "Les Formes Utiles" (Utilitarian Forms).

Literature:

Solange Goguel, René Herbst, Paris, 1990. See last image. Chair documented as ‘René Herbst

Fauteuil Sandows, Accoudoirs en Bois Verni, 1930.’

This listing is for a single armchair. Two available. The cords appear to be original and retain their supportiveness and strength.