Aram releases a new edition of Eileen Gray’s Bibendum chair

It has been 100 years since Eileen Gray – the Irish designer and architect widely regarded as one of the most influential figures of 20th-century modern design – introduced her ‘Bibendum’ chair. With its bold, sculptural form, the chair challenged conventional ideas of what modern furniture could be, and remains one of Gray’s most recognisable and celebrated works.

Aram, which has held the worldwide licence for Gray designs since 1973 and worked closely with the designer during her lifetime, is marking the centenary with the launch of a limited collector’s edition. Released exactly a century after the chair was first conceived in 1926, the edition is restricted to just 100 pieces.

The ‘Bibendum’ chair occupies a rare position between functional furniture, sculptural form and cultural artefact. It is celebrated for its bold and unconventional construction: a backrest formed from a stack of padded cylindrical cushions, paired with a generously proportioned seat and supported by a tubular steel frame. The chair takes its name from the original Michelin Man, Bibendum – a reference that highlights Gray’s signature wit.

Throughout the late 1920s and 1930s, Gray incorporated the ‘Bibendum’ chair into a number of her most significant interior projects, including a 1933 commission for fashion entrepreneur Juliette Lévy. Early examples were upholstered in fabric or skai, a leather-like vinyl, and were shown at Gray’s Jean Desert gallery in Paris.

These original versions are now exceptionally rare, with only two believed to remain in private ownership. Today, the ‘Bibendum’ chair is most often encountered in museum collections. However, Aram’s long-standing relationship with Gray has enabled it to preserve the authenticity of her work while presenting it to new generations – the centenary edition reflects this approach.