The History of Chairs: Wisconsin Edition

Whether enjoying a sandwich in a restaurant, whiling away the time in a dentist’s waiting room, or watching the big game on TV at home, sitting is the posture of choice for people everywhere. And a popular vehicle for getting off one’s feet is the chair. With apologies to the couch, it is the most beloved piece of furniture for sitting across the country, but especially here in America’s Dairyland.

So it should come as no surprise that the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend is celebrating this functional amenity with an exhibit of chairs. Specifically, designs by Richland Center native Frank Lloyd Wright.

The legendary architect is primarily known for his building designs — Wisconsin alone is home to more than 40 houses and buildings designed by Wright — but he was also a landscape architect, an interior designer, and a prolific furniture designer. His work on household amenities, however, isn’t nearly as well-known as the rest.

Wright produced over 200 unique chair designs over the course of his career. And the exhibit, called “Frank Lloyd Wright: Modern Chair Design,” includes a collection of 30 examples on loan from more than a dozen museums and private collections from around the country.

In addition to his historic pieces, the exhibit also produced some of his lost and forgotten designs, which were fabricated using plans from his archives.

The ultimate irony of this whole exhibit is that Wright wasn’t a fan of sitting. Apparently, he found the posture undignified, calling it “an unfortunate necessity.”

It was a different time, but that’s still kind of weird, Frank.

There’s no word on whether you can try out any of the chairs in the exhibit. Probably not. But there are sure to be many other tempting seating options available in and around the museum when you need to get comfortable. Unless, of course, your butt is above that sort of thing.

The exhibit runs through January 25th. You can learn more about the exhibit at the Museum of Wisconsin Art’s website.