501 Gothenburg Chair by Erik Gunnar Asplund for Cassina

Born in Stockholm in 1885, architect-designer Erik "Gunnar" Asplund is celebrated as the godfather of functionalist design in Sweden.  

After studying painting at Stockholm’s Royal University College of Fine Arts (1905-09), Asplund’s avid interest in architecture led him to attend the Stockholm Free Architecture School and to open his own practice. His early architectural works represented a pared-down neoclassical style, which was inspired by several class trips to Greece and Italy (1912-14). Exemplary of the romantic, Swedish Grace movement, his Scandia Cinema (1922-1923) and Stockholm City Library (1924-1928) emphasize geometric simplicity and clarity of form. Asplund’s Senna Chair (1915) was specifically designed for the library.

It wasn’t until the last decade of his life that Asplund became a major proponent for the functionalist style, when he was appointed Chief Architect of the watershed 1930 Stockholm Exhibition, organized by the Swedish Society for Arts & Crafts and credited with introducing modernism to Swedish society. Asplund’s contributions to the fair, including his Paradise Café and Entry Pavilion, presented a machine aesthetic couched in socially democratic ideals and optimism about the future.

Other designs in Asplund’s repertoire include the Villa Sturegarden in Nykoping (1913), the Gothenburg Courthouse Extension (1913-37)—which aptly shows his transformation from neoclassical to functionalist architecture—and the Skogskyrkogården Woodland Cemetery in Stockholm (1915-1940, with architect Sigurd Lewerentz). The latter was declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1944. His best known furniture designs include the tubular steel Karmstol Side Chair for Nordiska Kompaniet (1931); GA-2 Armchair for Nordiska Kompaniet (1931)—later for Källemo—and the Gotebor Chair designed 1934-37 and produced by Cassina from 1983.

Following the success of the Stockholm Exhibition, Asplund became a professor of architecture at his alma mater. He passed away in 1940. Asplund’s life and work served as inspiration to a number of Scandinavian design luminaries, such as lifelong friend and mentee Alvar Aalto, as well as Erik Bryggman and Arne Jacobsen.

Italian furniture manufacturing giant Cassina, originally named Amedeo Cassina, was founded by brothers Cesare (1909-1979) and Umberto (1910-1992) Cassina in Meda, Italy in 1927. Although initially specialized in bespoke woodworking and high-end interiors, by the 1950s the brothers took the company in a new direction, anticipating the growing demand for mass-produced home furnishings. Cassina is often credited with introducing industrial design to Italy and has built an international reputation for collaborating with some of the world’s most respected designers.

Notably, in 1964 (while famed architect Le Corbusier was still alive), Cassina signed the first exclusive licensing agreement covering the edition rights for designs by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand. The company soon after launched the I Maestri Collection which over the decades has gathered major icons of design under the Cassina brand, such as the LC4 Lounge (1928) jointly designed by Le Corbusier, Jeanneret, and Perriand, as well as Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld’s 635 Red & Blue Armchair (1918), Scottish architect-designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House Chair (1902), and many more.

With a focus more on partnering with the best designers rather than creating and maintaining a particular style, Cassina is responsible for some of the most recognized and beloved designs of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Highlights include Italian architect-designer Gio Ponti’s Superleggera Chair (1957), German designer Konstantin Grcic’s Kanu Chair (2009), Iranian-British architect Zaha Hadid’s Zephyr Sofa (2013), and French designer Philippe Starck’s My World Sofa (2013).  Throughout its visionary collaborations with both design luminaries and cutting-edge experiments with new talents, Cassina has remained dedicated to the Italian design ideals of craftsmanship and quality, and the brand continues to excel in the fusion of industrial technology and artisanal production.

Cassina’s designs are included in permanent collections the world over, such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein) and London Design Museum.

Cassina is now a part of the prestigious Poltrona Frau Group.

* All images courtesy of Cassina.