The story of Pollock’s rediscovery is a veritable design odyssey: fuelled by his admiration for the 1963 Pollock Executive Chair and a keen curiosity about the man behind it, Bernhardt Design’s Jerry Helling decided he would track him down.
“When I started researching, I found 30 Charles Pollocks, then I narrowed it down to three who might be him,” says Helling. After successive visits to New York he finally zeroed in on the right one, and when he did he “dropped off a letter and package about who I was and said I’d love to meet him, and if he was ever interested, would love to talk about doing something.”
Pollock’s long absence, it appears, was the result of a disillusionment with design after a chair he produced for Olivetti was never released due to the company’s financial difficulties. Happy to pursue painting and sculpture in the intervening years, he was nonetheless enthusiastic when the opportunity to work with Bernhardt Design presented itself.
The result is the CP Lounge Chair; low-slung, resting gently on a chromed stainless steel frame and upholstered with hand-sewn leather panels for a quilted effect the chair marries the sleekness and luxury evocative of vintage sports cars while promising ergonomic comfort.
A video about Helling’s quest to find Charles Pollock can be viewed here.
Bernhardt Design is available in Australia from Kezu