Vitra Heart Cone Chair

In contrast to many midcentury designs that keep their cool, Verner Panton’s Pop Art-inspired chair offers a playfully passionate silhouette. His 1959 rendition of a traditional wingback chair is a prime example of his efforts “…to encourage people to use their fantasy imagination and make their surroundings more exciting.” The enveloping sweep of the upholstered back and seat tapers down to a base of strong but slender stainless steel. With its vibrant red upholstery, the chair makes an eye-catching addition to any living room, bedroom, or library. Made in Germany by Vitra, a manufacturer of iconic modern furnishings that’s widely represented in MoMA’s collection.

After exploring Europe in a VW bus-turned-mobile-office, Danish designer Verner Panton launched his independent (and stationary) architecture and design studio in 1955. The boldly geometric forms of his debut encouraged a proliferation of furnishing and lighting designs. Panton’s love of intense color and compelling patterns also defined his extensive line of textiles. He is perhaps best know for his gesamtkunstwerk interiors where furniture, lighting, textiles, and wall decorations were designed as a comprehensive whole. Examples include the Cologne Furniture Fair (1968 and 1970) and the Spiegel publishing headquarters in Hamburg (1969). Panton's collaboration with Vitra produced his best-known design, the Panton Chair, introduced in 1967. The chair was Vitra’s first independently developed design and is included in MoMA’s collection, along with three other examples of Panton’s work.