Bibendum Lounge Chair

Bibendum is one of a kind. Nowhere in the history of design will one find an armchair that compares to this. It is captivatingly harmonious despite its size and unites a majestic impressiveness with charm and esprit like no other leather armchair. Eileen Gray underscored the character of her endearing parlor lion with sly irony; she named it after the Michelin man, whose form this armchair calls to mind.

Coming from an aristocratic Irish-Scottish family, Eileen Gray went to London and Paris to study architecture and design. She first made a name for herself as a leading designer of lacquered walls and decorative panels. With her theories on design and architecture, she left an indelible mark on our ideas about living; her work is considered the epitome of Modernism. Gray’s tubular steel furniture, revolutionary at the time of their creation, are considered classics today. Her Adjustable Table E1027 is one of the most famous and most-copied designs in the world. It was added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1978. Her Dragons Armchair was sold in 2009 for the unbelievable amount of €21,905,000 and, at the time, became the most expensive design object ever to be sold at auction.  

The non-conformist’s lifetime achievement was honored in 2013 with a major solo exhibition at Centre Pompidou in Paris. The production of the movie “Price of Desire” and the documentary film “Gray Matters” (both 2014) continued the success of the exhibition. Gray’s most famous architectural design, the Maison en Bord de Mer E1027 on the Côte d’Azur, was reopened to the public in 2015.