Now Available: Unrealized Furniture by Midcentury Icon Ralph Rapson
He was one of the oldest practicing architects, having designed housing complexes, embassies, and most notably the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis by the time of his death at the age of 93. But it was back in 1939, rubbing shoulders with Harry Bertoia and Charles Eames at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, that Ralph Rapson tried his hand at furniture, designing a chair that never made it into production. It now is, thanks to Leland International, and it’s the nucleus of Rapson Thirty-Nine, a series authorized by Rapson’s family. Joining the original bentwood lounge chair are a side chair, a bench, and two stools, all offered in a choice of ash or walnut veneer and each engraved with his signature. The launch is furthermore the debut of the manufacturer’s Guild division, dedicated to American modernism.
