Elbert Barstool
The Elbert Barstool was created by the artist for the JMA 2006 renovation of Bill Marriott's Times Square hotel. The original Elbert chairs were built for the Cypress Club restaurant in San Francisco in 1990-1991. They are named after the craftsman responsible for hand-bending the steel legs around the maplewood form.
The Cypress Club was located in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, just a block from City Lights Bookstore, which was founded by the Beat Poet and Beat publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The restaurant served cutting-edge seasonal/regional American dishes influenced by the history of San Francisco and the various ethnic subcultures within the city. The owner, John Cunin, had an amazing array of California wines to complement the menu.
The design JMA created for the Cypress Club explored what "American" design was, just as the menu explored what "American" cuisine was. The design took its cues from optimistic late 1940's popular culture. The chair borrows lines from the ‘48 Hudson featured in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road.” The name “Cypress Club” was appropriated from Raymond Chandler’s detective story "The Big Sleep", which was transformed into a screenplay by William Faulkner and starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The project was the first in which the artist and his team designed and fabricated every design element, a “Gesamtkunstwerk” and the conceptual and methodological foundation for all subsequent projects.
PROCESS+MATERIALS
The frame is composed of mandrel bent, welded and powder-coated, recycled steel. The upholstery is custom-dyed leather.
DIMENSIONS
H 45 in. x W 18 in. x D 25 in.
(H 114.3 cm. x W 45.72 cm. x D 63.5 cm.)
VARIATIONS
Inquire for options available
DATE OF DESIGN/MANUFACTURE
2006
CREDITS
Elbert Barstool portraits by Aaron Chicano
Other Mozer Seating
