Paris, France —It is one of the most essential objects of our day, the humble chair for sitting, reading, writing, eating, lounging, the list is endless. And next March 4th, the Parisian auction house of Artcurial will be auctioning off the personal collection of Werner Löffler in a sale entitled Chair’s Anatomy bringing together some 160 chairs. There are the whimsical, the comfortable and the statement making chairs in the wide selection. 

Werner Löffler, at the helm of a company that was specialized in fashioning seats, dedicated a large part of his career to the study of this piece of furniture collaborating for over four decades with experts in myriad disciplines, research institutes and users so as to better understand and anticipate contemporary uses for chairs.  He worked methodically, scientifically, observing the chair through the prism of its anatomy, regarding it as an extension of the human body: a structured organism made up of interdependent elements notably the structure, the base, the seat, the back, all kind of in a conversation with each other. This analytical and sensitive approach transformed him into a demanding collector guided by curiosity, analysis and transmission. 

From Antiquity to the present day, the humble chair emerges as one of the most fundamental objects in the history of furniture. The Werner Löffler collection astonishes by its scope and the chairs, whimsical in and of themselves, witness the Harp Chair, our favorite.  There are historic pieces, prototypes, experimental models and of course, the icons.  The auction house of Artcurial has made the decision to offer them on the block with affordable estimations ranging from US$590 to US$17,700 (500€ to 15 000€). 

And the chairs will also be on exhibition in a show at the auction house free of charge for the general public and potential buyers from February 27th to March 3rd, from 11am until 6pm, prior to the auction on March 4th. Artcurial was founded in Paris in 2002 and is a major auction house on the international art market. The house has four auction houses: Paris, Monaco, Marrakesh and Basel. Artcurial – Paris, 7, rond-point des Champs-Élysées Marcel-Dassault, 75008 Paris, France https://www.artcurial.com/en ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette