Marcel Breuer

Born in Hungary, architect and furniture designer Marcel Breuer (1902–1981) had a major influence on the Bauhaus school, where he was a brilliant student. After spending a year in Paris working in an architecture firm, he returned to the Bauhaus, where he directed the carpentry workshop from 1925 to 1928, blending art and technology.

It was during this period that he discovered tubular steel and created his famous steel-tube furniture collection, including the B3 chair—better known as the Wassily Chair—later edited by Knoll. This chair, inspired by a bicycle handlebar, showcased striking modernity and became a commercial success in the 1960s, ultimately becoming one of the icons of modern design. After working in London from 1935 to 1937 at Isokon, one of the first modern design manufacturers in the UK, Breuer emigrated to the United States. He taught at the Harvard School of Architecture and collaborated with architects such as Philip Johnson, Paul Rudolph, and Walter Gropius.

In 1941, he founded his own company in New York, specializing in the creation of houses and villas, where his avant-garde approach achieved great success. Breuer loved experimenting with materials such as wood, aluminum, steel, and concrete, revolutionizing design and architecture with his timeless works. He was also the first architect to exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.