And here they are again...
And here they are again. Now they are listed on a Dutch second hand marketplace (marktplaats) website.
http://link.marktplaats.nl/512785679
Welll... can someone explain this?
Not to knock those that have spent a great deal more time and have a great deal more experience than myself... but I happened across a "prouve/olson" task chair, and it looked like it had what was the original label under the seat.
The label only has one word that can be made out, but in block letters, it says "ORLEANS". which is a french word.
Furthermore, I googled "Nordiska Kompaniet", and it is a high end department store, founded in 1902 in stockholm.
As was mentioned earlier, the letter that was sent from Francis Perkins, associated with Galerie Patrick Seguin, stated that it is attributed to: "Nordiska Kompaniet"
Now, I could be quite mistaken, but since nordiska kompaniet is a department store in sweden, and it does in fact carry an international selection, it would be reasonable to conclude that this "task chair" was at one point featured in an advertisement paid for by nordiska kompaniet... it's not at all conclusive that the chair in the picture is made in sweden, or somewhere else. Are they an "in house" producer of industrial metal/plywood furniture? All I know is they are a store.
And finally... "Odelberg Olson" doesn't seem to be a designer. "his" full name is "Odelberg & Olson" (again, according to wikipedia)... odelberg & olson was the name of a wholesale steel manufacturer. On a seperate note... Odelberg is a swedish last name. And so is Olson. So... more likely when it is seen, it stands for the swedish metal wholesale firm, and NOT a person who designs furniture.
So, if I had to draw some conclusions that I feel are more likely it would be this:
1. Nordiska Kompaniet is a department store that at one point in time, offered the task chair with the rectangular backrest for sale.
2. Odelberg & Olson is not a person, but a wholesale supplier of steel.
3. Orleans is a french word, and a city in France. A city that Jean Prouve has at the very least been connected to via it's "la source" district, in which the pavillions within it were designed by him.
4. I find it more likely that a paper french label on the bottom of an industrial chair designed in the french style was made by a french designer and/or at least manufactured somewhere in france.
In conclusion: "Nordiska Kompaniet" is a high end luxury goods retail store. "Odelberg & Olson" is a now defunct steel wholesale company. And Orleans is a city in france. It is also a word on a paper tag on a french styled industrial task chair. IMO, more likely that this chair has it's origins in france, by a french designer, than in sweden. However, it was probably sold in a high end swedish department store, and a SIMILAR chair was possibly produced with metal parts purchased from swedish metal wholesale firm "Odelberg & Olson"
Thoughts?
Maybe the models' name is Orleans
referring to the french inspiration it took from.
I know there was a belgian producer in the sixties making danish inspired, teak credenzas. Every piece was given another city's name.
One of them was Stockholm I remembered, so a lot of people mistake the furniture know for being danish made, as this name is printed in large capitals on the label at the back...
Ok, that is a possibility....
Ok, that is a possibility. Do you happen to know this belgian furniture makers name?
That would explain the label... but it would in fact negate the attribution being to nordiska kompaniet, or to odelberg olson. We would have maker, but a question mark on the specific designer. And that's assuming this possibility is actually the correct one... which is a rather large assumption.
I know danish modern furniture and danish style furniture was taking the design world by storm in the 60's. There were other, non danish, non scandinavian countries (such as belgium, yugoslavia, various american firms) that were making danish inspired or danish styled furniture, in an attempt to capitalize on the new design craze...
however, I'm less familiar with french style industrial furniture of the 1930's-50's making a similar impact at the time, commercially speaking.
In fact, from what I've read, it wasn't until around the 1980's that prouve's name (and I assume that of other 20th century french designers) really started becoming recognized for the contribution they made.
Furthermore, I know that some designs like the wassily chair, and i'm sure other pieces out of the bauhaus school were commercial failures. No one tried to copy the wassily chair until gavina licensed it from M.B. in the early 1960's.
If "industrial looking" furniture generally failed to appeal to the mass consumer market of the 1920's-50's... particularly in france, then I would say it's extremely unlikely that a foreign firm would try to succeed on the coat tails of a commercially limited market.
In fact, in 1952 (wikipedia reference) it looks like prouve's business failed. He then became much more heavily involved in architecture, and much less in furniture.
I'd be curious to know the name of this belgium firm... but ignorance aside, when I hear hoofs, I generally think horses, not zebras.
but I really have no idea. anyone else?
Ok, sure... but i'm...
Ok, sure... but i'm referring to this chair. see the pic. sorry if my earlier pictures didn't make that clear...
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u406/vintageplus1/a-p-task-chair-lab...
Page Cut Off
Do you have more of that page from the book chairs by george nelson?
I see the word "olsen" cut off... also noticed a spelling difference in the word olsen. Possibly correct, possibly because olsen is a more american spelling, olson would be more scandinavian, and the original editor being american might not have noticed that. not sure.
really want to see that entire page....particularly the cut off parts! lol.
The whole page is...
The whole page is there....just use the slider bar at the bottom of the image to move it across. If that doesn't work with your browser, here are the diret links you can cut and paste
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d65/jesgord/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-04/4...
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d65/jesgord/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-04/E...
"Olsen" is a Danish name, while
"Olson" would be Swedish or Norwegian---at least according to what Danish friends told me and what I observed while living and traveling in Scandinavia. Names ending in -sen are Danish; those ending in -son are Swedish or Norwegian.
I think there's a good chance that the reference in the book above was simply misspelled.
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