The collection
Curved lounge chair, back and front composed of a single undulating form covered in purple upholstery.
1967

Lounge Chair, Tongue

Designed by
Pierre Paulin (1927–2009)
Material
Steel, polyurethane, wool jersey
Produced by
Artifort, Maastricht, the Netherlands
Dimensions
61.4 x 88.5 x 92.5 cm

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection, gift of Rejean Tétreault in memory of Claude Beaulieu, 2007.254

Originally trained as a sculptor, Paulin brought his sense of organic form to this stackable lounge chair, which was available in a number of bright colors. A tubular-steel structure is covered with foam and upholstered in stretch wool jersey with a zipper. Tongue seats the individual in a relaxed position near the floor, typical of the informal style of the 1960s.

Paulin recounted how the design overcame opposition to reach the marketplace: “The head of Artifort did not like the chair because it was too low and he couldn’t get up from it easily, but he discovered that his son and his friends liked the chair and enjoyed it.” This example was acquired in Montreal from Expo 67.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, photo: Giles Rivest.