Marcel Breuer designed the B3 chair between 1925 and 1926 when he was the head of the cabinet-making workshop at the Bauhaus. It was put into production by Thonet sometime afterwards, initially utilising fabric bands secured by springs. After the War, production Gavina acquired the license and introduced the more common thick leather bands. They also introduced the name Wassily when they learned that Breuer had produced an early duplicate for the artist Wassily Kandinsky, who was also based at the Bauhaus.
Knoll International acquired Gavina in the late 60s and have produced the chair ever since, although the design rights have now expired and there are reproductions (of various qualities) also available.
It’s a legendary design, and incredibly revolutionary. The use of bent steel tube was the key innovation, and this was only possible with the recently introduced seamless tubing.
