A PROTOTYPE PAINTED STEEL AND ANODISED ALUMINUM CHAIR, 1983

This chair is an extremely early example of Newson's furniture design, and possibly the first chair he constructed. While studying jewelry design at the Sydney College of Art in the early 1980s, Newson became interested in more three dimensional forms and began to experiment with furniture. He used inexpensive materials and basic industrial production techniques to form his first creations. This chair was part of his graduation presentation from the College in 1983. In April 1985, Newson exhibited this chair in an untitled group exhibition at the Contemporary Jewellery Gallery in Sydney. The chair, made of welded steel rods and sheet aluminum, is an exploration of pure geometric forms and a direct counterpoint to his fluid, biomorphic 'Lockheed' lounge, executed later that year. These early years of experimentation formed the seeds of Newson's design aesthetic into the 21st century.


This chair will be included as "MN-1GC-1983" in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of limited editions by Marc Newson, currently being prepared by Didier Krzentowski of Gallery kreo, Paris.

Christie's would like to thank Didier Krzentowski and Marc Newson for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.