Why the Hand Chair Never Goes Out of Style
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Loading... - Julien Heeren
- 04 Jul 2022
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Whether you've seen it on your Instagram feed or in real life at, say, a hip hotel, the hand chair always leaves a lasting impression and begs the question: what's the story behind the design? With the palm of the hand as the seat and the fingers pointing upwards to serve as the back, this quirky chair has remained popular since its creation in the early 1960s. “Like fashion, many home trends cycle through every 20 years or so,” says Noel Fahden, vice president of merchandising at Chairish. “What’s interesting is that this chair is always in demand. Contemporary designers have used it well in many different settings in surprising ways, such as with antiques and tapestries. It’s really a piece of sculpture that works anywhere.”
Whether you find these chairs amazing (or slightly peculiar and thoroughly eye-catching!), keep reading to learn all about the history behind the hand chair below.
Who created the hand chair?
Though there were versions of hand chairs made in earlier cultures, the modern hand chair was designed by surrealist artist Pedro Friedeberg, who was born in 1936 with his parents during World War II. The artist hired master carpenter Jose Gonzalez in the early '60s to carve the first chair from mahogany. Due to its mix of the fantastic and the practical, the hand chair became a cultural phenomenon. Friedeberg developed many variations, including using untreated wood, silver leaf, and black white, or red paint. Today, Friedeberg’s work is in the permanent collections of the County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art , the Art Museum and many more.
Why is the hand chair popular?
Because of its whimsical shape, the hand chair still manages to look fresh and unexpected to a whole new generation of homeowners, says Fahden. It’s equally at home in a formal living room as it is in a kid’s room. “What I find so enjoyable is that it works with any style. It’s essentially a big piece of sculpture, and sculpture is more popular than ever,” says Fahden. “It’s really an extension of this trend.” Read More...
