Multichair armchair, design by Joe Colombo for B-Line. The original multichair transformable system by Joe Colombo is composed of two cushions filled with polyurethane foam and covered in elastic wool fabric.
The units can be used independently or can be placed next to each other to create chairs, or lounge chairs.
The hand-stitched seams on the MultiChair are a final touch that further highlight the superior quality of this Bline product.
The Multichair is exhibited in the following museums:Permanent Collection, Museum of Modern Art, New YorkPermanent Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Cesare (Joe) Colombo was born in Milan in 1930. He attended the Brera Fine Arts Academy, and studied architecture at the Milan Politecnico for a few years. Before turning to design, he was a painter, and worked various unrelated jobs, including in construction and retail (cars and electrical material).
Joe Colombo's technological utopia reflects many of the hopes that defined the 1960s in Italy and Europe without ideological affiliations.
What follows is a quick chronology of Colombo whirlwind career as a designer.
1963 opens his first studio in Milan
1964 wins 3 medals at the XIII Milan Triennale
1967 wins the Golden Compass
1968 is awarded the Design International Award in Chicago
1969 already three items designed by Colombo are part of the MoMA permanent collection
He passed away on July 30th 1971 on his 41st birthday.