Blow Inflatable Armchair in the Museum of Modern Art, May 2010

Paolo Lomazzi, Donato D'Urbino, Jonathan De Pas
Blow Inflatable Armchair
1967

The Blow Inflatable Armchair, designed by Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, and Paolo Lomazzi, is the first mass-produced inflatable chair. This icon of 1960s Pop furniture embodies the revolutionary spirit of its time. It is a youthful, playful expression of the free, casual lifestyle and culture of ephemerality associated with this period. Executed in candy-colored plastic, it was far more affordable than other contemporary works of “high-style” Italian design.

Air pumped into the PVC (polyvinylchloride) skin gives it its form. Without the air, this chair would be like a large, deflated balloon. In its deflated state, the chair is soft and pliable. In a fully inflated state, it becomes more solid and can support weight.

Manufacturer: Zanotta S.p.A., Italy

Medium: PVC plastic

Dimensions: Inflated: 33 x 47 1/8 x 40 1/4" (83.8 x 119.7 x 102.9 cm)

Credit : Gift of the manufacturer

Object number: SC3.1972.1

Department: Architecture and Design

Text from: www.moma.org/collection/works/92868