After completing the Wassily, Breuer felt that the potential grace of the material was not yet fully exploited. Three years after designing his iconic Wassily Chair, which is believed to be the first bent tubular steel chair design, Marcel Breuer created the Cesca Chair (1928). Named in tribute to his daughter Francesca, the simple design pairs the industrial age aesthetic of tubular steel with caning and wood. 

For the Cesca chairs Breuer sought to better celebrate the new material. An attempt to reduce visual noise led him to the continuous line of steel supporting a cantilevered seat — one of the most copied concepts in 20th century furniture.

Marcel Breuer’s Cesca chair married traditional craftsmanship with industrial methods and materials to help make tubular steel furniture an international sensation and a modern institution. The cantilevered form exploits the possibilities unique to the material and gives the chair added flexibility and comfort. 

The Cesca chair is used in homes and restaurants worldwide, and an original 1928 chair is included in MoMA’s permanent collection. “It’s among the 10 most important chairs of the 20th century,” said Cara McCarty, associate curator, department of architecture and design at MoMA. Fully upholstered chairs feature urethane foam over molded plywood seat and back. The chair decorates homes and offices everywhere.