The Egg chair was first designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the chair, The Republic of Fritz Hansen had Danish-Israeli artist Tal R reinterpret the chair in 50 unique patchwork editions.
above: The classic Egg Chair
Okay, so some of them look like "Your Grandmother's Egg Chair" but when seen all together it's really quite a compilation.
Using everything from denim, leather, corduroy, cotton, cartoon icons and pop culture imagery, some are aesthetically pleasing while others are hideous, but all are unusual. The odd names of the chairs are based on Sigmund Freud's writings.
Über Coca:
front detail:
Golden Sigi:
front detail:
Association:
front detail:
Taboo Of Virginity:
Front detail:
Back detail:
Psychiatric Association:
front detail:
Therapy:
front detail:
The 50 unique artist Eggs were launched and exhibited at Galleria Carla Sozzani from in April of 2008 and are now traveling and exhibited in museums and galleries around the world through 2009.
The colorful patchwork Egg chair designs are a combination of materials collected from around the world. Some of the fascinating locations include Istanbul, Berlin and New York as well as second hand shops in Denmark and washed out work clothes from a kibbutz in Israel.
"The whole point was to make a chair that tells a multitude of stories. So the pieces of cloth had to be full of life. It should look a bit as if it was homemade." Explains Tal.
Inspired by the word ‘Egg’, its shape and references to fertility combined with Tal R’s fascination with the Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, the classic chair has been completely transformed.
Tal R has chosen to name the 50 unique chairs with inspiration from the writings of Sigmund Freud as the Egg is also a symbol of the forces of reproduction and the ability to create new life. Martha (Freud’s wife), Irma (Freud's 'classic' early dream analysis) and Adler (a close friend, medical doctor and psychologist to Freud) are just some of the names selected by Tal R. Each chair has been inscribed and signed by Tal R on its underside.
In addition to the above project, Fritz Hansen had a few other ways to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the chair, another of which was to create 999 limited editions:
Learn more about that here at Dezziny.
The Book:
See the book (or buy the book) here.
About the artist:
Born in Tel Aviv, Israel into a Jewish family and raised in Copenhagen Denmark Tal R graduated from the Royal Danish academy of Arts and is now a professor at the Dusseldorf Academy of Arts. Tal R has held solo exhibitions in New York, Dublin, Berlin and London. His works are enjoyed by the likes of the Danish Royal family who have commissioned Tal R to decorate their winter home, Amalienborg Palace in Denmark.
Relevant posts:
Check out Helen Amy Murray's unique custom leather upholstered egg chairs (shown above in "peony" fabric and more here.