Berthold Lubetkin (Russian 1901-1990) A pair of low lounge chairs for the penthouse at Highpoint Two, designed and executed 1938, unique Norwegian pine frames made by Lubetkin and his wife Margaret using hand-selected materials; stitched cowhide, the cowhide upholstery and bolster cushions are replacements image 1

Lot 110^AR,TP

Berthold Lubetkin (Russian 1901-1990) A pair of low lounge chairs for the penthouse at Highpoint Two, designed and executed 1938, unique
Norwegian pine frames made by Lubetkin and his wife Margaret using hand-selected materials; stitched cowhide, the cowhide upholstery and bolster cushions are replacements

Important Design

25 April 2018, 14:00 BST

London, New Bond Street

Sold for £11,250 inc. premium

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Berthold Lubetkin (Russian 1901-1990) A pair of low lounge chairs for the penthouse at Highpoint Two, designed and executed 1938, unique

Norwegian pine frames made by Lubetkin and his wife Margaret using hand-selected materials; stitched cowhide, the cowhide upholstery and bolster cushions are replacements
74 x 116.5cm.

Footnotes

Provenance: Until recently The Penthouse, Highpoint.

Bertold Lubetkin was a pioneer of the Modern Movement in England. He, and his architectural practice, Tecton were responsible for many of the landmark buildings of the 1930's including the Penguin Pool at London Zoo.

In his acclaimed book, John Allan describes the present chairs thus: "No longer content merely to revere the grand tradition of architects who design their own furniture...he now steps up to join in. The low chairs (and sofa) were unique pieces of soft sculpture made personally by Lubetkin and his wife Margaret from hand-chosen lengths of Norwegian yew and cow hide from Argentina. The tactile sand-blasted pine panelling was sawn from individually selected logs also fetched from Norway by Gerhard Rosenberg, an assistant in Tecton at the time."

Further Reading: John Allan Bertold Lubetkin: Architecture and the tradition of progress pp 296-307.

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