Óscar Tusquets

ÓSCAR TUSQUETS I BLANCA (Barcelona, 1941) for Kettal.
Set of 4 chairs "Urogallo". Version without armrests. 1996.
Aluminum casting and hand patinated with a special painting.
With author's and publisher's mark.
They show some lack in the painting.
Measurements: 45 cm (seat height); 45 cm (seat depth); 85 cm (back height).

Version without armrests of the Urogallo Chair, one of the most iconic and recognizable pieces of Spanish design of the late twentieth century. Designed by Oscar Tusquets in 1996 for the firm Kettal, it is a masterful example of how organic inspiration can be fused with an industrial material such as aluminum.

The design is a zoomorphic abstraction of this bird, the capercaillie: specifically, of the fan-shaped tail that the male displays during its nuptial stop. Thus, the defining element of the chair is its broad, fan-shaped backrest.

The entire body of the saddle (seat and back) is covered with a pattern of circular openwork of different sizes. This openwork not only visually lightens the piece and gives it a play of light and shadow, but also mimics the pattern of "eyes" (ocelli) in the bird's tail plumage. In addition, it serves a practical function, especially in outdoor use, by allowing water drainage.

The Capercaillie chair is also a technical triumph, manufactured as a single piece from cast aluminum. The use of cast aluminum allows for total formal fluidity. The backrest, seat and back legs seem to emerge from a single central trunk, with no visible joints or unions, reinforcing its organic character.

The structure of the legs is unique. The two rear legs are a direct continuation of the central column of the backrest. The two front legs, on the other hand, open out to the sides, providing great stability and a counterpoint to the verticality of the backrest.

The model we are bidding for, lacking armrests, accentuates the clean lines of the silhouette and gives all the prominence to the expansive shape of the backrest. It makes it visually lighter and more versatile.

Óscar Tusquets is an architect, painter and designer, trained at the Escuela de La Lonja in Barcelona and the ETSAB. In 1964 he founded Studio PER with Lluís Clotet, with whom he collaborated regularly until 1984. During this period he participated in the enlargement of the Faculty of Medicine in Barcelona (1980) and in the remodeling of the Palau de la Música Catalana (1982). In 1987 he teamed up with the architect Carlos Díaz, with whom he carried out projects in various countries, including Japan and Germany. He has been awarded the Delta de Oro del FAD prize on several occasions, and in 1987 he received the Sant Jordi Cross.