The Barcelona chair was exclusively designed for the German Pavilion, that country's entry for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, which was hosted by Barcelona, Spain.
The design resulted from collaboration between the famous Bauhaus architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his longtime partner and companion, architect and designer Lilly Reich, whose contributions have only recently been acknowledged.
An icon of modernism, the chair's design was inspired by the campaign and folding chairs of ancient times.