Bentwood chair by Le Corbusier??  

Dor-Val mfg
Thanks dlord for the information on dor-val! you're right that's exactly the same logo... Their "about us" section, however, doesnt tell anything about what they've done before 1971... Maybe, we're close to an answer... Maybe they have some kind of archives... I wrote to that company "Ton" in Czechoslovakia. They told me that they we're never linked to Ligna... You came to the conclusion that the Bentwood chair Co. manufactured the chair. However, if you look carefully on the bottom left of the ad, it is clearly stated that they are made in Czechoslovakia, not in Montreal. Also, they are referenced as model "1811C", the same exact model no. used on the ad of the Aarkchair co., built by Ligna (the name clearly appear on that 2nd ad.). This is why I came to the conclusion that the Bentwood chair co was a distributor...As for the "twisted" armrest, I'll have to confirm that fact next time I'll go at my parents place... I know for sure, however, that they are stamped "Ligna"....

Dor-Val mfg
ah crap, you got me there hamacbleu...
Didn't notice the caption below the picture.
Found an interesting description of that chair here: http://www.bauhaus2yourhouse.com/products/michael-thonet-designed-chair-811
Also, I found that TON, apart from claiming that they're the oldest producer of bentwood furniture there is, is not the original company Michael Thonet founded. That company still exists today,and is run by his descendants: http://www.thonet.com/?target=about . So much for that.
That being said, I stripped the paint on one of my white armchair and stained it a nice walnut color. I got the original look, just like in the ads - and much more true to the original.

Thonet no. 811
This chair by Thonet no. 811 is also known as the 'Prague' chair and designed by Josef Frank in the 1920's and it was also sold in the USA by Knoll in the 1950's and described as being imported/manufactured from Czechoslovakia. Thonet have factories all over europe and even here in the USA. The chair originally have caned seats and back but was also offered upholstered and older versions did not have the the secondary leg support that shows up in other models. Besides natural wood, later models were also offered with lacquered frames. The model 811 was in the Thonet USA line up to the mid 1980's and any versions not made by Thonet are unlicensed copies.

Yes, this was designed by Le Corbusier
I don't remember the exact date of his design, but probably in the 1930s. I bought, and still have, 8 of the arm chairs that were imported and sold in the US by Charles Stendig. Charlie was the first importer to bring European designed products from the 1930s - 60s to the US. The beauty of his design, as you can see, is that the type of corner blocks he used on the front legs, and the copper brace on the back legs -- both hidden by the apron surrounding the entire seat -- provided the strudcture that the original Thonet designs did not have, thus the need for the bentwood leg brace about 8 inches below the seat. The ones I have have the natural handwoven cane, but at the time, one could also get the nylon "cane" also handwoven. I used that version in several conference rooms I designed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as the nylon stood up to harder wear. After raising 3 kids who sat on these chairs every day until they left for college, I am finally in need of having a few re-caned, and having a hard time finding a craftsperson that can do this -- no sheet cane for this chair!

Chair details
Thanks Kaija for your input... that's interesting since you remember seeing theses when they were actually produced... I forgot this thread long ago... thinking that the case was closed.. I thought it would be a good idea to put a photo of the actual structure. some of the details you are providing appears to be right. I don't understand though what braces you're actually refering to, 8 inches below the seat. That would be great if we could compare with a Thonet structure...
However, It appears to me that, even though Le Corbusier was involved in some modifications, the form is clearly not is creation. And Ligna has clearly copied the Thonet design... For what purposes Le Corbusier would have modified a copied version instead of the original Thonet?
Where did you hear of the Le Corbusier attribution?