"PK-91" Folding Stool

Poul Kjaerholm

1961 · Stainless steel, canvas · Modern and Contemporary Art

The design for folding X-form stools has changed little since antiquity. The first examples appeared in ancient Egypt, and the form was later adapted by the Greeks and Romans. Twentieth-century versions remain more or less the same, despite the advent of new materials and aesthetic preferences. Here, Kjaerholm's training as a cabinetmaker consciously links this metal stool with the wooden ones of the past: the ribbonlike twisted steel strips that form the base are unexpectedly joined with dovetails at the corners—a traditional technique usually reserved for woodworking.

Artist

Poul Kjaerholm

Date

1961

Medium

Stainless steel, canvas

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Purchase, Gift of Susan Dwight Bliss, by exchange, 2001