Set of 4 vintage model 290 chairs in fiberglass-reinforced polyamide by Steen Østergaard for Nielaus, 2010

This set of four iconic Modo 290 cantilever chairs was designed by architect and designer Steen Østergaard in 1966. Modo 290 is a one-piece shell chair with a design that still exudes futurism and clean design lines. The chairs are made of polyamide reinforced with fiberglass, dyed in full depth. The Model 290 was the world's first cantilever chair that was molded in a single operation that took 132 seconds. It also required the largest forming tool ever created at the time. The chair has a silky cobalt-navy blue gloss, is antistatic and does not delaminate. There is an attached cushion on the seat. They can be used both indoors and outdoors. This set was produced as part of a reissue by the Danish Nielaus manufactory. They have an embossed signature under the seat. The Model 290 was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as a tribute to modern design. NASA has this chair at their headquarters, it was also featured in several science fiction movies from the 1960s and 1970s due to its futuristic design. But the biggest curiosity is that this model was the equipment of Italian monasteries, because it fit very well with the visual identity of the buildings with its ascetic and aesthetic expression. Steen Østergaard was born in Denmark in 1935. Already at the age of 5, he was designing and building his own model airplanes. In 1965, he was elected the Furniture Designer of the Future. His classic polyamide furniture from the 1960s in the A 290 and 265 series is still sought after at international art auctions around the world. His deckchairs are at a missile base in Houston, Texas, where they are molded specifically to the ground so that they do not move when the rockets are launched. In 1981, he designed the first Action Recliner chair with a built-in footrest, copied all over the world today. For Steen, it is very important to combine aesthetic design with the human anatomy. Steen Østergaard worked with Finn Juhl, among others, won countless awards and created his own design company, where he continued the design ideas. As a perfectionist, he never stopped solving all kinds of technical problems in his work. Today he lives in the south of France, where he still works as a designer and always has new ideas on the drawing board. Nielaus is a Danish furniture manufacturer whose history began in 1959. The company specialized in upholstered furniture with an emphasis on Danish design and good craftsmanship. It has been a family business for over 50 years. Several of the items in the collection have become classics and are still produced today. Over the years, collaborations with Arne Vodder, Steen Østergaard, Nissen & Gehl, Hee Welling, Ditlev Karsten, Andreas Hansen and Carlo Volf have helped establish Nielaus as one of Denmark's leading furniture manufacturers. 47 years after the design of the Modo 290 - the company has brought this iconic model back into production and since 2013 the Danish furniture manufacturer Nielaus has been working with Steen Østergaard in the production and sale of his unique designs, in line with the architect's original ideas. Nielaus is now responsible for the production of these chairs. The set is in original condition. It has minor traces of use, minor scrapes. The seat is at a height of 45 cm. Reference : 306304