The steel-tubing cantilever chair, constructed from standard gas pipes and pipe fittings, established a precedent for industrial furniture design that persisted throughout the twentieth century. Mart Stam developed this utilitarian seating concept after observing tubular steel designs in a 1926 Tatra T12 automobile, ultimately winning a German patent lawsuit against Marcel Breuer regarding the invention of the cantilever principle.
Early Professional Development
Born in Purmerend in 1899, Mart Stam trained at the Rijksnormaalschool for Teekenonderwijs in Amsterdam between 1917 and 1919. Following his qualification, he worked as a draftsman in Rotterdam for the architect Granpré Molière. In 1920, Stam served six months in prison as a conscientious objector, during which time he authored the pamphlet Brieven uit de cel. That same year, he entered a competition to design city plans for the expansion of The Hague, proposing an anti-monumental layout governed by traffic flow and devoid of ornamentation.
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By 1922, Stam moved to Berlin to work under architect Max Taut on projects including the German Trade Union Federation Building. During this period, he collaborated with El Lissitzky on a concrete proposal for the Wolkenbügel, a horizontal skyscraper intended as a socialist alternative to American urban models. In 1924, he co-founded the avant-garde journal ABC Beiträge zum Bauen in Basel, which introduced New Objectivity principles to Switzerland alongside contributors like Hans Meyer and Hans Schmidt.
Industrial Landmarks and Bauhaus Ties
Stam contributed to the design of the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam, an industrial landmark constructed between 1926 and 1930. His professional trajectory later included teaching positions at the Bauhaus and the Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin. His career spanned multiple countries and political systems, including work with Ernst May’s housing brigade in the USSR and post-war reconstruction efforts in the Netherlands and the German Democratic Republic.
Final Years
After a career defined by urban planning, industrial design, and academic instruction, Stam retired to Switzerland. He maintained various citizenships throughout his life, including those of the Netherlands, the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, and Switzerland. He died in Zurich in 1986.
Fast facts
- Born: 1899, Purmerend
- Died: 1986, Zurich
- Occupations: Architect, urban planner, designer
- Key invention: Cantilever chair
- Notable project: Van Nelle Factory
- Influential movement: New Objectivity
Questions readers ask
Did Mart Stam design the Van Nelle Factory alone?
No, Stam served as a contributing designer. The principal architect of the project was Leendert van der Vlugt.
Why was Mart Stam involved in a patent lawsuit?
He engaged in a legal dispute with Marcel Breuer regarding the original invention of the cantilevered tubular-steel chair, a case Stam eventually won in German courts.
Achievements
- Affiliated with Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin and Bauhaus
- Worked as architect, university teacher and industrial designer
