Niemi, Ries. Commemorative Metal Albert Einstein Chair

Metal chair with cut-out likeness of Albert Einstein, and with numerous equations and associations, signed in relief "R.N." Numbered in relief, "A.P. 5". 43 x 25 3/4 x 18 1/2 in. (1100 x 655 x 465 mm). From the collection of American illustrator and author Hilary Knight.

A fantastic metal chair commemorating Albert Einstein, by industrial artist Ries Niemi. According to Niemi, "Some chairs, I made one of. Other chairs, I have made dozens of. In 1993, when Thurgood Marshall died, I decided to make a chair honoring him. That led to a series of commemorative chairs, with over 24 different people portrayed, each in an edition of 24. Many of these sold out- I only made them as they were ordered- but I have made close to 250 of these Portrait Chairs since then."

According to Knight, "I bought it from the estate of Dr. Marian Slater, an anthropologist I knew in Sag Harbor. She was a high order eccentric whose collection of furniture & objects involved everything animal, vegetable or mineral ... but ALWAYS extraordinary ... as Ms. Slater was. This iron silhouette chair is a work of ART."

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance

Bonhams, Fine Books and Manuscripts Including the World of Hilary Knight, December 5, 2018, Lot 64

From the collection of Justin G. Schiller

Niemi, Ries. Commemorative Metal Albert Einstein Chair

Niemi, Ries. Commemorative Metal Albert Einstein Chair