Josep Torres Clavé

JOSEP TORRES CLAVÉ (Barcelona, 1906-Els Omellons, Lleida, 1939) for Mobles 114.
Pair of GATCPAC armchairs, after model of ca. 1934. Spain, later edition.
Oak wood and braided bulrush.
Good condition. Vintage product without functional defects, with possible aesthetic marks of use.
Measurements: 70 × 80 × 75 cm.

Pair of GATCPAC armchairs, according to design by Josep Torres Clavé, edited by Mobles 114. The model recovers one of the most representative examples of Catalan rationalist furniture, in which structural clarity and modern functionality dialogue with materials and techniques of popular roots.

The oak wood structure has curved arms and refined lines, while the seat and backrest in braided bulrush provide lightness, texture and Mediterranean warmth. The characteristic geometric pattern of the backrest, resolved by means of a braided cross, introduces a handcrafted element of great graphic strength within a sober and architectural composition.

Josep Torres Clavé was an architect and designer, a key figure in Catalan rationalism. He collaborated with Josep Lluís Sert and Antoni Bonet, with whom he founded MIDVA (Mobles i Decoració per a la Vivenda Actual), and in 1930 he was a founding member of GATEPAC, a group linked to the dissemination of modern architecture in Spain. He was an active participant in the magazine A.C. Documentos de Actividad Contemporánea, which promoted the ideas of Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and other international references. His legacy includes pieces of rationalist furniture, such as the famous armchair with bulrush back.