Knoll Pollock Chair Poster

Photograph by Guy Bourdin, Paris, 1980s

Guy Boudin was first hired by Kaiser's predecessor, Massimo Vignelli, who pinpointed his sense of the "metaphysical situation." A protégé of Man Ray, Bourdin is famous for cultivating a mysterious sense of danger and sex, taboo and surreal. In this scene from Kaiser's tenure, a model shown in billowing negligee flanks a backlit Pollock Executive Chair, which appears almost menacing, casting a shadow that recalls the sinister forms of German Expressionism and Film Noir. While tame by Bourdin's standards, the scene's drama represents a dramatic departure for Knoll product photography. "My pictures are just accidents," Bourdin said of his work. "I am not a director, merely the agent of chance."

Dimensions:

33"W x 23.5"H