JORDI VILANOVA (Barcelona, 1925-1998). Pair of... Lot 138

JORDI VILANOVA (Barcelona, 1925-1998). Pair of stools "Billiards". 1961. Pine wood and bulrush. Measurements: 40 x 40 x 40 cm. The Billar stool was designed in 1961 by the Catalan Jordi Vilanova. It is a piece with a marked identity, the result of the synthesis of a modern taste for functionality and the austerity of traditional chairs, which Vilanova respectfully reinterpreted in his designs. The structure is made of pine wood and the seat of bulrush. The name comes from the concept of the "billiard" chair, whose design was inspired by billiard sticks to reproduce the long back legs. A great admirer and connoisseur of Nordic design, Vilanova is known as the introducer in Spain and Catalonia of white wood furniture, that is, furniture without color or glossy varnishes. Vilanova defends the functionality, simplicity and purity of his works, halfway between tradition and modernity. Catalan interior designer and cabinetmaker, Jordi Vilanova enrolled in 1939 at the Escuela de Trabajo y Oficios Artísticos de la Lonja. He completed his training in the workshop of Busquets, and between 1940 and 1953 he collaborated in the studio of Lluís Gili. Jordi Vilanova was founder and promoter of the Catalan art magazine "Questions d'Art" (1967-74). In 1974 he opened premises with a permanent exhibition of furniture and upholstery of his own design, forming part of the Official College of Interior Decorators and Designers of Barcelona and the SAD. His modern furniture and his way of resolving spaces were initially aimed at a large public of limited economic resources and, consequently, homes with less living space. However, this great majority did not understand his proposal. Instead, it was the Catalan bourgeoisie, eager to break with outdated stylistic canons, who embraced his work. His specialty was furniture for children, such as the Delta stool, which won the Delta de Plata Prize awarded by the ADI/FAD in 1964. He held exhibitions of his work in Scandinavia. Among his most representative designs are the Tiracord and Billar chairs (1961), the Montseny MP bunk bed (1961), the Tartera (1966) and Petit (1978) rocking chairs and the Z magazine rack (1987) designed together with his son Pau Vilanova Vila-Abadal. It is currently represented in the Design Museum of Barcelona.