molteni.itImage source: Werner Blaser
© The respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
Designer
Werner Blaser
Werner Blaser was born in 1924 and studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and later in Japan. Molteni&C says he opened his own studio in Basel in 1959 and worked with Mies van der Rohe for a substantial period,…
Biography
Background
Werner Blaser was born in 1924 and studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and later in Japan. Molteni&C says he opened his own studio in Basel in 1959 and worked with Mies van der Rohe for a substantial period, publishing various books on Mies's architecture.
Signature Style
Molteni&C describes the unusual joinery of his chest of drawers as a simple three-fork joint; Blaser says the details reflect the influence of Japan.
Notable Works
The chest of drawers that won first prize at the Cantù Prima mostra selettiva, Concorso internazionale del mobile, in 1955, reissued by Molteni&C as MHC.1.
Legacy
Molteni&C describes the prototype as the company's first modern piece of furniture and Blaser as an early collaborator; the jury of the 1955 competition included Gio Ponti, Alvar Aalto and Finn Juhl.
