CLASSICON: 100 YEARS OF BIBENDUM – LIMITED ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Images courtesy of ClassiCon

A Special Limited Edition of 100 Pieces

To mark the 100th anniversary of Eileen Gray’s Bibendum armchair, ClassiCon presents a limited special edition of 100 pieces of this majestic piece of furniture. The limited edition series engraved with Gray’s signature  and a number of mark of authenticity.

The commemorative version revisits the spirit of the original 1920s design—one so coveted that a historic example sold at Christie’s in 2020 for nearly USD 700,000. For the anniversary release, the armchair is upholstered in sand-toned nubuck leather, paired with a nickel-plated tubular steel frame that highlights the piece’s architectural clarity.

From its debut in 1926, the Bibendum armchair challenged the conventions of its time. Created by Eileen Gray for the Paris apartment of art patron Juliette Mathieu-Lévy on Rue de Lota, the design replaced the heavy wooden legs of traditional club chairs with slender tubular steel—then a radical innovation—allowing the voluminous upholstered seat to appear almost weightless.

Presented by Magran Living

Its signature silhouette is defined by two oversized padded rolls that wrap the sitter in a semicircle, balanced on a delicate steel base. The form famously echoes Bibendum, the Michelin Man whose stacked tyre-like figure inspired Gray’s playful yet sculptural interpretation.

Rediscovered in the 1970s and first reissued by Aram Designs in 1973, the chair is today produced by ClassiCon. A century later, Bibendum remains an enduring design icon, featured in major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Centre Pompidou.