Cor Alons Pair of Art Deco Modernist Lounge Chairs in Oak and Beige Velvet

Cor Alons for Winterkamp en Van Putten, pair of armchairs, oak, lacquered wood, velvet, the Netherlands, 1927

Cor Alons (1892-1967) was a Dutch interior architect and industrial designer. He has made an important contribution to the New Objectivity or 'Functionalism' in the Netherlands (1918-1933). He took the advice from his father, who was an art teacher, to complete his education at the Academy of Art in The Hague. During his studies, he was drawn towards furniture design in particular. Since there was no such thing as interior design training yet, he had to gain practical experience. After graduating in 1917 he worked as a sketch drawer for four years for the furniture factory of H. Pander & Zonen, at the department of Modern Interior Art under supervision of Hendrik Wouda. Wouda introduced him to the work of other architects, like the American Frank Lloyd Wright, and Hendrik Berlage among others. Their designs were based on sensibility and decoration being subservient to construction. In 1923, he established himself as an independent interior designer. The furniture designs of Alons were in line with the work of other 'Haagse School' designers such as Cornelis van der Sluys, Frits Spanjaard and Hendrik Wouda. Characteristics of their furniture were simple construction, the use of cubistic shapes and lacquering in different colors, which emphasizes different parts individually. Over the next forty years he is dedicating his career to designing furniture and interiors, pottery and stained glass, and painting. He received multiple honorary memberships and exhibitions during his life. On April 24, 1967 he passes away in his beloved The Hague.