Hans Coray

Hans Coray (9 June 1906 – 22 November 1991) was a Swiss artist and furniture designer.[1] He is best known for designing the Landi chair for the Swiss National Exhibition of 1939,[2] a lightweight aluminium chair that became a classic of Swiss industrial design and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[3] In addition to the Landi chair, Coray designed furniture for industrial production, including pieces for the line für den Wohnbedarf,[2] and worked as a painter, sculptor and art dealer.[4]

Early life and education

Hans Coray was born on 9 June 1906 in Wald in the canton of Zurich and was originally from Sagogn in Graubünden. He was the son of Han Coray and Domenica Hössli.[2]

Coray studied Romance languages at the University of Zurich and received a doctorate in 1929.[2]

In 1931 he worked as a middle-school teacher in Aarau and Zuoz and produced his first furniture designs.[2][4] Between 1932 and 1938 he pursued further study in subjects including graphology, astrology, religious philosophy and design, and began work in metal design.[4]

Design career

For the Swiss National Exhibition of 1939 he designed the official Landi chair, a stackable chair made of perforated aluminium sheet.[2] The idea of creating an official chair for the exhibition originated with architect Hans Fischli. Coray won a competition in 1938 to design the chair, around 1500 examples of which were produced for use across the exhibition grounds.[5] The chair later entered series production and was manufactured in a modified form from 1962 onward,[2] and is included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[3]

Coray subsequently designed numerous other products, including furniture for the line für den Wohnbedarf, such as a garden chair and the table “Ponton”. He was among the first Swiss designers to create furniture models intended for industrial production, particularly seating furniture.[2]

From 1945 Coray worked as a designer, artist and art dealer.[4]

References

  1. ^ Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Zürich: Hans Coray - Künstler und Entwerfer. Zürich 1986, ISBN 3-907065-20-4
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Maurer, Bruno (21 August 2002). "Hans Coray". Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS) (in German). Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Schweizer Erfindungen: Das innovativste Land der Welt". Tages-Anzeiger. 25 October 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d "Hans Coray". Vitra Design Museum. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Der Gelochte ist zurück". Basler Zeitung. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2026.

Further reading

  • Fiell, Charlotte; Fiell, Peter (2005). Design of the 20th Century (25th anniversary ed.). Köln: Taschen. p. 180. ISBN 9783822840788. OCLC 809539744.
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