Bauhaus Chrome Stool by Mart Stam for Slezak, 1930s

Pioneering Dutch modernist architect-designer Mart Stam (1899-1966) was a famous proponent for New Objectivity, a German cultural movement advocating for a return to unsentimental reality. He is also credited with designing the first cantilevered chair in furniture history.

Born in North Holland in 1899, Martinus Adianus “Mart” Stam earned a degree in drawing from the Royal School for Advanced Studies in Amsterdam (1917-19). After graduating, he moved to Rotterdam to work as a draftsman in the architectural office of Marinus Jan Granpré Molière (1883-1972), whose mentoring had a lifelong impact on Stam’s career.

In 1922, Stam won the right to design an urban plan concept for The Hague. Stam’s designs included roads that ran perpendicular to the beach, a novel concept that had yet to be seen. Later that year, Stam moved to Berlin and worked together with architect Max Taut (1884-1967) and Russian avant-garde architect El Lissitzky (1890-1941)—who became a lifelong friend—on various projects. During this time, Stam began developing his signature “New Objectivity” style.

Founded in the aftermath of World War I by Weimar artists Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, and George Grosz, Neue Sachlichkeit (German for “New Objectivity”) was a cross-discipline movement and aesthetic approach that was dedicated to practical engagement with the world. The Bauhaus school was founded on these sober but idealistic principles, which resulted in designs characterized by reduced forms and new materials. Turning away from expressionism, proponents of New Objectivity rejected romantic idealism in favor of realism, rationality, and order.

Stam worked alongside the likes of Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Peter Behrens, Bruno Taut, Hans Peolzig, and Walter Gropius during the landmark Die Wohnung exhibition for the Weissenhof Estate in Stuttgart in 1927. His contribution to the project included the Nr. 28 House in the White House Settlement, designing both the outside and inside. It was here that he unveiled his first set of cantilevered chairs, which would spark a whole new genre of like-minded designs. Stam’s S33 and S34 Chairs (both 1926) utilized bent tubular steel, which was thought to be the material of the future during the heyday of the modernist era. These chairs revolutionized modern furniture, as the robust nature of the tubes facilitated minimalist yet durable designs. The chair also resulted in a copyright feud between Stam and Marcel Breuer, which Stam won. Thonet put Stam’s cantilevered chair designs in production in 1932.

Throughout his career, Stam held many acclaimed positions, including the editor of the avant-garde magazine ABC—Contributions to Building, the head of the Academy of Arts & Crafts in Amsterdam, and the director of the Conservatory for Applied Art in Berlin-Weißensee. After a short stint living in Amsterdam, he moved to Zurich and retired in 1966. Stam passed away later that year at the age of 86. 

Czech manufacturer Slezak is renowned for its sleek Bauhaus style furniture and rich 20th Century heritage.

Founded in 1908 by Robert Slezak, a locksmith, in Bystrice pod Hostýnem, the company evolved from a small metal workshop to a highly respected metal chair manufacturer. By the 1930s, Slezak had become one of the most important makers of Bauhaus tubular steel furniture, creating pieces for designers such as Mart Stam, Michael Thonet, Jindřich Halabala, and Rudolf Netík. Standouts include Mart Stam's classic K10 Chair, which could be regarded as one of the most highly influential furniture designs of the 20th century. Other recognizable examples are the cantilever B 62 and B 64 chairs, designed by Marcel Breuer, which were produced by Slezak under license from the German manufacturer Thonet.

The company not only produced modern designs but also had a modern approach to sales, offering items through catalogs and self-branded stores around Czechoslovakia. With the onset of World War II and the Nazi occupation, the company had to turn its production to ammunition for anti-aircraft guns and optical components for Zeiss. After the war had ended and communism took over, the factory was nationalized and was eventually acquired by KOVONAX, a company established through privatization in 1992. Today, Slezak's current owners continue to successfully build on the company's rich design heritage by collaborating with architects, designers, studios, galleries, museums, schools, theaters, hotels, restaurants, cafes, offices, VIP function rooms, and private individuals across the world. Slezak has exhibited at the Furniture Show in Stockholm, Designblok in Prague, and Salon del Mobile in Milan.

One of the manufacturer’s most notable recent projects was the repair and recreation of original furniture for the recently opened AXA Hotel in Prague. The hotel is in what was originally a multi-functional sports-centered building, designed and constructed by architect and master builder Václav Pilc in 1930-32. The building originally included commercial spaces such as shops, restaurants, and offices and rooms that were decorated with functional minimalist Bauhaus-style furniture. Pilc’s descendants undertook the recent restoration of the hotel and they want to carry on a tradition of physical and mental balance and health in the building, with a fitness center and swimming pool in an ecologically sustainable manner. The hotel is an homage to the elegant minimalism of the 1930s and the space presents a beautiful showcase of Slezak’s workmanship and its founder’s legacy.