Frank Gehry (Toronto, Canada, 1929 – Santa Monica, California, 2025), for Vitra “Wiggle Stool,” designed in 1972. Corrugated cardboard and hardboard. With Vitra label.

Lot description

FRANK GEHRY (Toronto, Canada, 1929 – Santa Monica, California, 2025), for Vitra “Wiggle Stool,” designed in 1972. Corrugated cardboard and hardboard. With Vitra label. Measurements: 40 x 43 x 40 cm. The “Wiggle Stool” is part of the famous Easy Edges series, through which Frank Gehry brought corrugated cardboard into the realm of designer furniture. In contrast to the traditional nobility of wood or metal, Gehry chose an everyday and seemingly fragile material to demonstrate its structural, plastic, and sculptural possibilities. The piece is constructed from overlapping layers of corrugated cardboard, creating a sinuous and compact profile with great visual and functional strength. The lateral corrugation, almost like a folded ribbon, lends movement to the form and transforms the material’s cross-section itself into the primary decorative element. Produced by Vitra, the “Wiggle Stool” is one of Gehry’s most recognizable designs and an icon of contemporary furniture. Its appeal lies in the combination of material experimentation, economy of means, and formal sophistication: a stool of humble appearance, yet one of enormous conceptual power. Frank O. Gehry was one of the most influential architects of contemporary architecture. His work is characterized by the sculptural use of form, experimentation with materials, and a dynamic conception of space. Among his most notable projects are the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. In the field of design, the Easy Edges series holds a key place due to its pioneering research into cardboard furniture.