Preferred term

Bibendum chair

Definition

The Bibendum chair by Eileen Gray was commissioned by the fashion stylist Madame Mathieu Lévy (Suzanne Talbot, to decorate her flat in Rue de Lota in Paris. This is an iconic piece of Bauhaus furniture. It has a voluptuous seat and backrest, made of leather with a base moulded from chrome-plated steel tubes. Its special padding gives that peculiar shape because it is made from polyurethane with polyester filling, thus gaining in strength, volume and comfort. Its name comes from the Michelin man, being named by Gray herself ironically. The leather is stitched in such a way that it looks swollen.