Oscar Niemeyer and Pierre Vandel Vertebra chair, France, 1970s

A vertebra chair by French designer Pierre Vandel (born 1939). The chair is made of an aluminum ribbed frame, giving the chair its name, and is upholstered with brown alcantara.

The original idea for the chair came from the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, who lived in Paris from 1965 until 1985. During these years (1965-71) Niemeyer designed the headquarters of the Communist Party in Paris. Vandel worked on this project and Niemeyer gave him the sketches for the chair, as he didn’t have time to further develop the design.

The model was designed in 1972 and only 400 pieces were produced of this version without armrests. Another 400 with arms were made. A similar chair was exhibited in Sensate: Bodies and Design at the San Francisco Museum of Art in 2009.