Gerald Summers Cocktail Stool - Made by Makers of Simple Furniture (1931-1940)

Gerald Summers Cocktail Stool - Made by Makers of Simple Furniture (1931-1940).

Birch plywood with original black covered seat.

Gerald Summers was the most innovative British Modernist designer and in only ten years produced over a hundred furniture designs which capture the zeitgeist of the 1930's. This sculptural cocktail stool is typical of Summers' love of simple, economical and practical design and the plywood, which had been used since the 1920's but always disguised, is here appreciated for its intrinsic beauty and versatility. The stool has a white tinted finish and original black covered seat.  The black surface of the foot rest serves to punctuate the form and echos, in both shape and colour, the black cushioned seat.

The stool is one of only two known to exist.

Originally offered through Heals and Harrods and select department stores in the US including Pembertons in New York, examples of Gerald Summers' designs are now held by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Vitra Design Museum in Germany.

Provenance:
English private collection, Andrew MacIntosh-Patrick

Museums & Exhibitions:
Victoria & Albert Museum: The Bent Plywood Armchair is on permanent exhibition in the new 20th Century Furniture Galleries.
Museum of Modern Art, New York 2013/14 Exhibition: The Magic of Plywood.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Vitra Design Museum
Thirties British Art and Design before the War organized by the Arts Council of Great Britain, London 1979
'Constructivism in Art & Design' Crafts Council Gallery, London 1988

Bibliography:
The Design History Journal 1992 Vol.5 No.3 - precis of Masters' thesis by Martha Deese, Metropolitan Museum New York
A History of British Design 1839-1970 Fiona McCarthy pub. 1972
Gerald Summers: Furniture For the Concrete Age Dunn and Mantz pub. 2012
1000 Chairs Charlotte and Peter Fiell, Cologne 2000
Design for Today 1934
100 Masterpieces Vitra Design Museum
Furnishing the small Home published London and New York 1930's by the Studio Ltd.
Bent Wood and Metal Furniture 1850-1946 University of Washington Press edited by Derek E. Ostergard

Dimensions

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Stock number