Design 
24 October 2019
Design 
322

Donald Deskey, attribution

Rare armchair

USA, c. 1939
matte chrome-plated steel, oil cloth, enameled steel 31½ h × 20 w × 25 d in (80 × 51 × 63 cm)
estimate: $5,000–7,000
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provenance: Private Midwest Collection
literature: Donald Deskey: Decorative Designs and Interiors, Hanks and Toher, pg. 185 illustrates similar example

print

The present chair exhibits many similarities to documented examples designed by Donald Deskey for his important suite of furniture which debuted at the World of Tomorrow in 1939. Specifically, the ball feet and futuristic lines relate strongly to the examples illustrated below, and the present example originates from the same collection as the Rare Armchair, No. 500 which was the first from the series to come to market.

Armchair designs by Donald Deskey for the World of Tomorrow suite produced by the Royal Manufacturing Co. in 1939. From left to right: armchair, no. 505, no. 500 and no. 535.
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