Classic Chair RM58 by Roman Modzelewski (1958)

Classic Chair RM58 by Roman Modzelewski (1958)

The classic chair RM 58 is a modern version of the groundbreaking chair designed by Roman Modzelewki. Handmade in 1958, it was one of the earliest European examples of polyester-glass laminate furniture, but its innovativeness lay not only in the materials used in its production. The fully-closed organic form of the seat had no counterpart in the fifties, either in Poland or elsewhere.

The use of new materials and industrial technologies in the production of the RM58 chair by VZOR made it possible to overcome the constraints of craft manufacturing and to offer a product of consistently high quality.

Pioneer of Polish Mid Century Design

The 1958 prototype of glass and polyester laminate was a pioneer use of this material in Poland, and from the formal point of view it was an example of a fully formed, homogeneous organic seat shell, unique on a global scale.

The Victoria & Albert Museum in London bought one of the original armchairs for its world design collection and it was part of the V&A exhibition “Cold War Modern: Design 1945-1970” devoted to modern design, architecture, film and pop culture created during the Cold War on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Furthermore, the armchair was among the items at the exhibition of the National Museum in Warsaw entitled “We Want to Be Modern. Polish Design 1955-1968” which presented Polish design icons.
Additionally, two original RM58 armchairs are also part of the permanent collection of the Modern Design Centre of the National Museum in Warsaw.

After more than half a century since its creation, the classic chair RM58 by Roman Modzelewski debuted again.