Ron Arad, Where Design Meets Sculpture

20th Century Decorative Arts & Design

Auction on Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Tajan is pleased to announce the upcoming sale, on June 30, as part of its auction dedicated to 20th-century design, of a Big Easy – Volume 2 by Ron Arad. Created in 1988, Big Easy stands as Ron Arad’s most emblematic work and is now regarded as an iconic piece of contemporary design, at the intersection of sculpture and furniture.

Boldly reinterpreting the traditional club chair, it exaggerates its volumes to the point of an almost caricatural form, with inflated, organic contours. The artist himself spoke of an “illusion of volume”: although the chair appears upholstered, it is in fact made from folded and welded sheet steel, demonstrating remarkable technical mastery. This singular approach perfectly illustrates Ron Arad’s practice, a major figure in contemporary design.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1951, he moved to London in the 1970s, where he studied architecture at the Architectural Association School. In 1981, he founded the studio One Off with Caroline Thorman, paving the way for a career that would profoundly challenge and reshape the codes of 20th-century design. His work prioritizes material and form over function, developing a visual language grounded in curves, sinuous lines, and the innovative use or transformation of recycled materials.

In the late 1980s, Ron Arad profoundly reinvented the language of furniture by blurring the boundaries between design and sculpture, craft and industry, unique piece and mass production. His work is distinguished by deconstructed, often oversized forms that play on notions of balance and imbalance, as well as by a constant experimentation with materials, particularly steel and aluminum. Big Easy is now held in the collections of major international museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, attesting to its historical and artistic significance.

The example offered for sale on June 30 presents collectors with the opportunity to acquire a major work, emblematic of the avant-garde of late 20th-century design.

RON ARAD (born in 1951)
A ‘Big Easy Volume 2’ sculptural armchair in patinated steel and mirror-polished steel.
Signed and numbered. One Off edition of 20.
37 3/4 x 53 1/8 x 35 3/8 in.
€25,000 – 30,000

20TH CENTURY DECORATIVE ARTS & DESIGN

Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Tajan, 37 rue des Mathurins, 75008 Paris, France

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