Born in Pécs (Hungary) in 1902, Marcel Breuer was one of the leading figures of the modern movement. Trained at the Bauhaus—first as a student, later as master carpenter—he embodied like few others the school’s ideal of uniting art, craft and industry. In both furniture and architecture, his work pursued functionality to the limit without ever renouncing formal expression.

In the 1920s, he revolutionised design with his tubular steel furniture—most famously the Wassily chair—which signalled the beginning of a new era for modern furniture. He later moved to the United States, where he developed a highly influential architectural career. He collaborated with Walter Gropius, taught at Harvard University, and signed major works such as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York (1966), now home to the Frick Madison.

Although he never worked directly for Knoll, his relationship with the firm proved pivotal: he mentored Florence Knoll and recommended the hiring of Eszter Haraszty, who would become one of the most influential figures in Knoll’s textile department. In 1968, Knoll acquired Breuer’s furniture collection from the Italian company Gavina, securing the global legacy of designs such as the Wassily, the Cesca chair and the Laccio table.

Breuer passed away in 1981, leaving behind a powerful legacy: a design language that embraced industry without losing its soul, an architecture of clarity and conviction, and a modern vision whose radical lucidity still resonates today.