211 - FRANK O. GEHRY (Toronto, Canada, 1929 – Santa Monica, California, 2025), for Vitra

FRANK O. GEHRY (Toronto, Canada, 1929 – Santa Monica, California, 2025), for Vitra “Easy Edges” side table. Corrugated cardboard and hardboard. With Vitra label. Exhibits wear consistent with age and use. Measurements: 39 x 39 x 42 cm. The “Easy Edges” side table is part of the famous series of corrugated cardboard furniture that Frank Gehry developed between the late 1960s and early 1970s. Using a humble material typically associated with packaging and temporary use, Gehry created objects of great strength, texture, and sculptural presence. In this table, the cubic volume is opened up by a central void that lightens the piece and emphasizes its architectural character. The layers of cardboard, visible on the sides and inside, create a highly distinctive graphic effect, while the light-colored front frame provides contrast and precisely defines the furniture’s geometry. The Easy Edges series was pivotal in Gehry’s career: it transformed an everyday material into signature design and foreshadowed much of his later exploration of structure, form, and surface. Produced by Vitra, this table retains the series’ conceptual appeal: economy of means, formal radicalism, and a surprising material elegance. Frank O. Gehry was one of the most influential architects of contemporary architecture. His work is characterized by the sculptural use of form, experimentation with materials, and a dynamic conception of space. Among his most notable projects are the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. In the field of design, the Easy Edges series holds a key place due to its pioneering research into cardboard furniture.