Mexico
circa 1945

Cabinet of carved and lacquered pine with wide rounded legs and woven fiber doors. The case is a dark green/gray, the interior, with a fixed shelf, is yellow. Designed by Michael van Beuren for his Domus company and produced in Mexico, circa 1945. Born in New York City, Van Beuren (1911-2004) studied at the Bauhaus in the early 1930s, settling in Mexico in 1937. He teamed with fellow Bauhaus student Klaus Grabe to design a now-iconic chaise for MoMA's 1941 Organic Design competition. An architect by training but not by degree, he turned to furniture design, creating low-cost and high-design furnishings for the progressive element of Mexico's emerging middle class. In the process, he helped kick-start modernist furniture design in Mexico. The influential and successful Domus company existed from the late 1930s until circa 1950, when it morphed into another concern. Van Beuren was the subject of a 2010 solo exhibition at Mexico City's Museo Franz Meyer. The present item is, after the chaise, one of van Beuren's most striking designs--a rare and museum-worthy work. From the estate of the original owner. Ref: Bauhaus and Modern Mexico: Design by Van Beuren (2014), page 40 (pictured).

Condition
Good. Good vintage condition with wear to the original paint and fiber cord consistent with age and use.

Measurements
Height: 28.75 in.
Width/Length: 39.25 in.
Depth: 19.5 in.

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