Chris Connell / Australia

Australia born 1955

Melbourne-based furniture and interior designer Chris Connell has been a driving force in the Australian design scene since the 1990s. For the NGV Triennial, the Gallery commissioned Connell to develop a new chair for general use at NGV International. Manufactured by MAP International Furniture, Gallery chair, 2017, incorporates a carbon steel frame, nylon mesh substrate and removable wool-nylon upholstery; and is exceptionally light, strong and durable. The chair has a sense of nostalgia, its stitching referencing the patterns of Leonard French’s stained-glass ceiling in the Great Hall at NGV International.

BIO

In 2014 Connell was awarded the Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), Australia, Gold Medal, and in 2017 was inducted into the Design Institute of Australia’s Hall of Fame for his significant contribution to Australian design.

Commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne with the support of Schiavello International, Melbourne
Proposed acquisition