Copacabana Chair

Mathieu Matégot is a well renowned and celebrated Hungarian/French Modernist designer. Though a distinguished tapestry artist later in his career, he is perhaps most acclaimed for his groundbreaking material and technique, called Rigitulle. This proprietary visual vernacular was discovered during his time in the French Army during WWII, where he was captured as a prisoner of war. Matégot found that he could treat metal much like fabric, or specifically, tulle; he could masterfully manipulate the rigid material through bending and folding. He designed the beloved Copacabana Chair in 1955, after opening his second studio in Casablanca, Morocco. The enameled tubular metal and perforated steel allow for both a visually severe yet gracefully fluid composition, reminiscent of a pencil doodle languishing in space.

Year: 1955

Material: Enameled steel, foam, fabric

Dimensions: W 23 x D 28 1/2 x H 27 1/2 in