MR90 Barcelona by Mies van der Rohe designed this German pavilion and corresponding furniture for the 1929 world’s fair in Barcelona. Among other things, his pavilion served as the setting for the inaugural ceremony led by the Spanish royal couple, Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia. While Mies van der Rohe implemented his ideas of avant garde steel and glass architecture for the building design, he drew his inspiration for the furniture from historic models. Mies van der Rohe took as his starting point the ancient, scissors-shaped collapsible folding chair, already a symbol of power among Egyptian rulers. In keeping with the occasion, he adopted the representative qualities of the scissors chair, although he does without the folding function and interprets it afresh. In order to match the overall impression of luxury in the pavilion, Mies van der Rohe chose not to use wood like the historic models, but instead employed chrome-plated steel strip and leather upholstery with button stitching. The pavilion was torn down after the fair. However, along with the furniture, it was retrospectively acknowledged as a showcase for the ”International Style” that had taken hold throughout the world. The Barcelona pavilion was reconstructed and rebuilt in1986.

The Miniatures Collection of the Vitra Design Museum presents the most important classics of modern furniture history on a 1:6 scale and replicates the historic originals down to the smallest detail.

True to the original pieces in structure and materials, the miniatures are precision-crafted, making them a thoughtful gift for a furniture lover or design professional.

Each miniature comes handsomely packaged in a wood box with an informational booklet.

Material: Steel strip, leather belts, leather cushions

Size (l/h/w): 28 x 125 x 127 mm