This question is bound to stir up the usual amount of discussion on the pros and cons of buying knock-offs of classic designs, but before you get all worked up about the moral issues etc, etc, here's the reason for my question:
I have an artist friend who's working on a sculpture, which takes the Barcelona design as it's starting point. He'd like to modify a chair, which is as close to the proportions of the original design as possible, since he'd prefer not having to destroy a valuable original.
Is there a reproduction which is actually close enough to the original? The materials can be different, but the proportions needs to be as exact as possible.
I remember 100's of threads discussing this chair of course, but since the search function returns every (1082 to be exact) post mentioning 'Barcelona', it is hard to find the info I'm looking for without spending hours and hours...
I think I have heard that an Italian manufacturer, whos name is beginning with an 'A', is supposed to be the best of the cheaper reproductions, but I can't remember the name... -Anyone remember?
My friend would also be open to using a really 'beat up' original example, if it would make sense economically, but I can't find any available for him right now. If you've seen any for sale anywhere, please let me know. Poor upholstery, rust, broken straps etc is no problem, as long as the general structure is intact.
Italian manufacturers
Hello, I know of a couple italian manufacturers that produce furniture exactly as the originals. In fact I know that one of them is allowed to produce the items according to the original specifications as with the recognized brands. This at least for the Tulip Chair (Saarinen) - Alivar.
The ones I'm talking about are Alivar and Matrix International. I have seen items of Matrix in person and the quality is fantastic. They aren't cheap though, but they are less expensive that Knoll.
Best regards and good luck
Kevin
Thanks Kevin, I will look...
Thanks Kevin, I will look into those.
Anyone else?
I also changed the title of the thread, to avoid any confusion with other threads concerning knock-offs; since I'm only interested in a good example as 'material' for an artwork.
When it comes to furnishing my own house, I'm pretty strict about having only vintage originals, or unknown flea market finds...
Fakes
Hello again.
Those are the best italian manufacturers for the iconic pieces of furniture.
The other place you can browse and shop for that purpose is Swivel.Co in UK. I have visited their showroom just for fun and I was amazed at the quality of some of their items! I must admit that I prefer their knock-off Eames side chair over the originals produced by Vitra! Their fiberglass version if just fabulous! Almost as expensive as an original, but if it was for aesthetics and quality issues only, I'd prefer to buy their fake Eames than an original from Vitra...
Anyway, that just to say that their Barcelona chair is also very good. Not the leather, but the frame is. And if it's for a sculpture, I guess the frame is what you'll need..
Good luck and post the results
Kevin
Need they be new?
I guess it depends on the artist's vision, but if they don't need to be shiny and new, I'd think you could find some cheap on line (eBay must have several offered over a couple weeks). I see vintage copies regularly, though they would not pass for real if that is the artist's intent (they have exposed fasteners, etc.).
Just a thought, but if you can use second hand knock offs it may be cheaper and serve the same purpose.
Hi Pegboard,
No they need...
Hi Pegboard,
No they need not be new at all, used would even be better actually.
But they do need to be very close to the original, so close that you could hardly tell the difference. Although they will be altered quite heavily, it is best if the starting point is something which have the right details. Maybe there are no knock-off's which are good enough available... -Do you have an idea which one you think is the best one?
If you don't want to make free advertising for a knock-off here, you (and anyone else) can email me here:
alexgrejer (a) gmail dot com
I'm sorry I can't be more specific at this moment, but I don't want to give my friends ideas away online... I will try to post some follow-up photos though.
I'm helping him as a favour and since I'm always 'googling around' for design related stuff anyway. I actually didn't think it would be very to find even a really beat up Knoll-original which we could use, but I was wrong...
and by the way, the chair...
and by the way, the chair could be located anywhere, even though I live in Sweden.
If we could find a chair at the right price, let's say $400-1000, depending on the condition (and we're prepared for pretty much anything...), it could make sense to pay for shipping from the US for example. We just can't afford to buy a decent condition original at $3-4000 and then go on and practically destroy it in the name of art...
Knoll would probably say no b...
Knoll would probably say no but might not. I'm sure they have rejects and if your friend were to approach them formally describing his project they might give him a second.
I've got an artist friend with more gall than you can poke a stick at and he is always getting things for free.
woofwoof: I didn't think of...
woofwoof: I didn't think of that, but I'm not surprised to hear it of course...
In what ways has the chair changed over the years?
I thought the dimensions of Knoll's version would be closest to the Pavilion original, but if it has changed a lot over the years, maybe other factors, such as the way the fasteners attach etc, are more important...
Heath: That might be an option actually, although my own experience is that it's usually very hard to get any sponsoring from big companies. It's worth a try though!
Licensed Knoll Replica
Knoll just settled a law suit with Alphavilee design and have agreed to let Alphaville sell a replica called the Exposition.
I like the above comment about contacting Knoll for Rejects too. I live about 20 min from Knoll's Green Lane location. Let me know if I can be of assistance
Jason
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