Designed for royalty, Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair has devolved into a corporate cliché. On the eve of a new Mies monograph, we revisit this problematic classic.

Regardless, it’s a bestseller. The Barcelona chair, designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1929, has been in continuous demand since that date. Pictured, a campaign from 1968.

For the Barcelona Pavilion, that methodology spawned, among other furnishings, the Barcelona chair, a lounge seat that’s endured as a design icon for almost a century.

The Barcelona Chair isn’t just icon of modern furniture design, but modern design writ large — and we won’t say $900 off makes it a no-brainer pick-up, but it definitely doesn’t hurt. Made to the same ...

For the Barcelona Pavilion, that methodology spawned, among other furnishings, the Barcelona chair, a lounge seat that’s endured as a design icon for almost a century.

But a Barcelona chair can’t stand up to the rain. And it would be a prime target for thieves. The furniture-maker Knoll sells Barcelona chairs for $5,991 apiece.

The Barcelona Chair was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1929. (moDecor Furniture Pvt Ltd/ CC/Wikimedia Commons) Designed by renowned US-German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with Lilly ...

Designed for royalty, Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair has devolved into a corporate cliché. On the eve of a new Mies monograph, we revisit this problematic classic.