About the Book

In the 1950s, the young industrial designer David Rowland set out to
create “the most universal chair ever built.” What he came up with
was a design so unique that it was rejected by every major furniture
company. But he persevered and changed mass seating forever with
his 40/4, a chair widely viewed as a masterpiece of design.

Now, Rowland’s wife Erwin and writer Laura Schenone tell the full story
of not only the chair but the extraordinary life, influences, and philosophy
of the man behind it. In photos and documents, many never seen before,
the authors chronicle Rowland’s life-changing course with legendary
Bauhaus teacher László Moholy-Nagy, service as a B-17 bomber pilot in
World War II, a boundary-breaking education at Cranbrook Academy of
Art, interactions with many of the great midcentury creative luminaries,
and his career as an independent industrial designer in New York City.

Beautifully designed and illustrated, David Rowland: 40/4 Chair is a
gorgeous visual journey. It is published by the preeminent art book
publisher Phaidon to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 40/4 chair
and the 100th anniversary of Rowland’s birth.