GERALD SUMMERS TV TABLE - Registered Design No. 871987

1950's

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. However, in 1939 his company, "Makers of Simple Furniture", was forced to close because the plywood from which he constructed his designs was no longer available. The Russian invasion of Estonia and confiscation of Venesta who were the plywood manufacturers meant that the material was no longer exported to Britain. With typical ingenuity Summers re-fitted the workshop to sort ball-bearings and his company Gerald Summers Ltd exists to this day. However, his creative instinct remained strong and after the war, in the 1950's, he designed a number of pieces including this TV Table.

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