Willy Guhl Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Willy Guhl, born in 1915 in Stein-am-Rhein, Switzerland, was an innovative Swiss designer in the field of mass-produced furniture and furniture objects, following the principles of neo-functionalism. Its main contribution is to make high-quality design accessible to all. Read the full biography

Willy Guhl, born in 1915 in Stein-am-Rhein, Switzerland, was an innovative Swiss designer in the field of mass-produced furniture and furniture objects, following the principles of neo-functionalism. Its main contribution is to make high-quality design accessible to all. Guhl completed an apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker at the Zurich School of Applied Arts and opened his own design studio and workshop in 1939. One of his first successful designs is the "Bankstuhl" chair (1941) for Röthlisberger, featuring a cane seat and back and the ability to be linked to other designs to form a row of chairs. During the post-war reconstruction period in Europe, Guhl helped design public housing that was easy and cheap to build. In 1951, the Swiss company Eternit, which specialized in fiber-reinforced concrete roofing and siding, commissioned Guhl and his students at the School of Applied Arts to create concrete vessels. Eternit played an essential role in Guhl's education, as it encouraged the designer to fully exploit the potential of new materials. In 1954, Guhl designed the famous "Loop" chair for Eternit, which became a classic of the era. Throughout his career, Guhl received numerous praise for his designs, and in 1985 he was the subject of a retrospective entitled "Willy Guhl: Designer and Teacher" at the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich. Guhl passed away in 2004 in his hometown at the age of 89.