ALESSANDRO MENDINI, FOR STUDIO ALCHIMIA, CIRCA 1978

This model was developed by Mendini whilst he was working for Cassina on a range of fabrics which was to be a reflection on Marcel Proust. It coincided with Mendini's development of a series of 're-designs' for furniture where existing shapes and ornamentation were re-interpreted in line with his belief that design must be expressed externally and on the surface of objects if its impact is to be understood in today's fast moving society. These ideas are all encapsulated in Proust's Armchair, whose decoration is taken from an enlarged detail of a painting by Signac. The work of the Impressionists was much admired by Proust for its ability to capture the shimmering reality of nature, and Mendini has succeeded in juxtaposing both this transient quality of light and the heavy traditionalism of the Baroque form of the chair.

cf. 100 masterpieces from the Vitra Design Museum Collection, Vitra Design Museum exhibition catalogue, 1996, p. 192-193; Charlotte and Peter Fiell, 1000 Chairs, 1997, p. 538; Charlotte and Peter Fiell, Modern Chairs, 1993, p. 115.