The Moravian Gallery dedicated an exhibition to bent furniture

Brno - The still vibrant phenomenon of bent furniture from the first half of the 20th century is being showcased to the public in a new exhibition "Thonet-Mundus and Others" at the Moravian Gallery in Brno. It is the first exhibition of its kind in Europe, focusing exclusively on the theme of the famous "thonet" chairs and other chairs, armchairs, and tables made from bent beech wood or chrome tubes, the gallery representatives told journalists today.
    The Moravian Gallery owns the largest Czech institutional collection of bent furniture. For the exhibition, it borrowed other interesting pieces from private collectors. Among them are designs by famous architects and designers, such as Adolf Loos and Josef Hoffmann. A curiosity is an armchair from the Tugendhat villa, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
    Bent furniture continues to attract the interest of connoisseurs. "The easy bending of steamed beech rods allowed for the mass production of elements from which various types of furniture were assembled. The technology also conditioned the form, resulting in simple, elegant, and timeless models," said curator Martina Straková. The "thonet" chair, according to Straková, is one of the visual icons of its time. It serves perfectly well in many places even today.
    Originally, bent furniture paradoxically had a stigma of being cheap, intended for socially weaker classes. Due to its simple design and inexpensive production, it often appeared in public spaces – in cafes, schools, and offices. It gained higher prestige only after 1900, when renowned artists began to design it.
    The exhibition features six sections presenting works by official designers as well as production from company workshops without specific authors. A separate chapter of the exhibition includes atypical products made from bent wood, such as coat hangers, footrests for shoemakers, and camping loungers. A surprising discovery for the curators was a group of furniture made from beech wood, whose shape mimicked furniture made from metal tubes.
    The phrase "Thonet-Mundus" in the title of the exhibition refers to the company of the same name, which was founded by entrepreneur Leopold Pilzer in the 1920s. The company produced 80 percent of the world's output, said collector and co-author of the exhibition Jiří Uhlíř, for whom bent furniture became a passion. "And I originally just wanted four chairs for a round table at the cottage," Uhlíř stated.
    The furniture in the exhibition is complemented by contemporary photographs of cafes, restaurants, as well as apartments and villas. The exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts will run until May 23. An expert symposium on bent furniture is part of the accompanying program.