Sven Markelius 'Orchestra' Chairs Black & White - 1930's

Scandinavian modern, lacquered birch, stackable 'orchestra' chairs, Sven Markelius, Sweden, 1930s. These modernist chairs were specially designed for the Helsingborg Concert Hall. Clean and simple lines make these very early modernist chairs a great and timeless design. These chairs would fit well in a modern-day minimalist and zen interior, possibly combined with some brutalist and rustic elements. The Helsingborg Concert Hall was of great importance as the first functionalist monumental building in Sweden. It was designed by Sven Markelius and was finished in 1932. In 1925 a competition was launched and Markelius was invited. He had earlier, in 1918, come up with a proposal for a Concert Hall. Markelius came in third place in this competition after Lars Israel Wahlman and Ragnar Östberg. Due to economic reasons, none of the projects were realized, and instead, the proposals were revised to fit a tighter financial framework in a new contest in 1926 In this new competition, Markelius got the first prize and therefore the final contract to provide the blueprints for the building. The proposal from 1926 was revised several times until 1930 when the final disposition was completed. Markelius engaged Mogens Mogensen in the work and the Concert Hall was completed in 1932 with a concert hall and cinema in the higher part and with entrance and a restaurant in the lower end. The Concert Hall is almost unchanged since it was built and it became a listed building in 1997.