90s Borek Sipek ‘leonora’ chair from Driade series

Bořek Šípek (Prague, June 14, 1949 – there, February 13, 2016) was a prominent Czech architect and designer. He was known for his individual, unusual, colorful and rich style. He experimented with unexpected and usually opulent shapes. His glass sculptures are particularly well known.
After studying at the Prague Academy of Art, he emigrated to Germany in 1968, the year of the Prague Spring. There he studied architecture in Hamburg and philosophy in Stuttgart. In 1979 he obtained his doctorate from the Technical University of Delft. In 1983 he settled in Amsterdam. He founded his own architecture and design studio there. After the Velvet Revolution in his native Czechoslovakia, he started a studio in 1989 in his hometown Prague.
After relocating to the Czech Republic, he was professor of architecture and design at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague from 1990 to 1998. From 2005 to 2012 he was professor and dean at the Faculty of Art and Architecture of the Technical University of Liberec.
Bořek Šípek is said to be the father of the “neo-baroque”. His architectural works and other designs are known worldwide. He had offices in Amsterdam, Prague and Shanghai.
Under the presidency of Václav Havel, he was the architect of Prague Castle. In Maastricht he designed a glass sculpture at the entrance of the Maastricht University Library on Grote Looiersstraat.
Bořek Šípek passed away at 66 years.
Borek Sipek designed the Leonora chair for the Driade series. His view on furniture is very unique. For this chair for example he actually first made 3 paintings, that also have are very wished for on actions and are called “study for Leonora’” In the painting you can see the way Sipek looked at a chair. You can see the chair from sideways as a woman sliding in a fabric long dress forward.The use of form in the chair comes from this point of view and the wish to design the chair not with fabric but in wood. The seat of the chair is in leather, and this unique object can be used as a chair but it is also a piece of art. In any case it is a collectors item. Very rare and beautiful detailed chair.