Bruno Mathsson

Bruno Mathsson ( born January 13, 1907 in Värnamo, Sweden, † August 17, 1988 ibid ) was next to Carl Malmsten and Yngve Ekström one of the most important furniture designers of Sweden, who created some of the classic objects of functionalism.

Development

Bruno Mathsson was the son of Karl Mathsson, master carpenter of the fourth generation, to the world and therefore should naturally follow in the footsteps of his father. He learned the craft from the ground and gave himself as a complete wood technical knowledge. For Mathsson but that was not enough: the ideas of functionalism taken possession of him. During the early 1930s the Swedish design scene was dominated by the functional style of movement and their representatives as Axel Larsson and Sven Markelius. In contrast to these Mathsson took a new approach by pleading for seating with gently curving and organic forms, which should be adapted to the human body and its natural posture.

Bentwood furniture

Mathsson led his ideas with layer-glued bent wood ( a method that was developed in the 19th century by Michael Thonet in the 20th century and used by other Scandinavian designers such as Alvar Aalto ) and braided belts saddle as the seat surface. In this way arose as the chair Eva (1934 ) and the chaise longue Pernilla (1934 ) as part of a functionally appealing furniture group. Mathsson once said, "The problem of sitting always gives me riddles. " He had his international breakthrough with these products at the World Exhibition in Paris, 1937.

Architect

In the 40s Bruno Mathsson undertook together with his wife Karin, a long trip to the U.S., where he met with architects such as Charles Eames, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd Wright. This trip was very important for him and showed, among other things, the famous glass house design. From 1945 to 1958 he devoted himself mainly to architecture and designed a variety of modernist buildings made ​​of wood, glass and steel. Among them is the famous glass house in Värnamo, which now serves as an exhibition space for his furniture.

Tubular steel furniture

From 1958 Mathsson designed jointly with the Danish mathematician Piet Hein tubular steel furniture, such as tables Superellips (1964 ) and Super Cirkel (1964). For the type of table tops Hein had used a mathematical formula, for which he coined the term super ellipse. It was also used in the design of the largest roundabout in Stockholm Sergels Torg in place.