BENT WOOD FURNITURE IN SOUTH-AMERICA A new coffee table book made in Bolivia

If it were possible to bend a book into the shape of a chair, she surely would have done it! Natascha Lara, who signs the introduction chapter straightforward as a bentwood aficionada published in August a weighty coffee table book about bentwood furniture.

In a short interlocution she tells us how she, as an aficionada, got automatically in touch with the Thonet collectors circles in Europe and in South-America. And then eventually almost received the “order” to make available in book form her vast knowledge, her 10-year investigation work and her considerable collection of pictures on bentwood furniture, in order to provide a complement to the Europe-centered publications. In fact, the editor does not seem to have done the job by force, considering the enthusiasm, kick and savvy enclosed in this 2-kilo book. And this is particularly true when it comes to the pictures: roughly estimated 600, mostly historical pictures, each one carefully edited, document the Thonet distribution wonder in South America. Catalogue pages, enterprise-related documents, private pictures, lithographs, photos and paintings that are enlarged whenever necessary and required by the context, all sorts of documents are combined either to create an atmosphere or to focus on a technical detail, and the result is a lavishly and thoroughly illustrated history of this particular furniture.

To relate the history, the editor was clever to ask Thonet collector and firm historian Wolfgang Thillman to join and write a part. The firm history proves accordingly both entertaining and very detailed. Attention is also duly paid to the competition, the book being after all about all the bentwood furniture whatever the brand-name. The historical part including design history represents however only about half of the book, while the other half is exclusively dedicated to the “New World”. Mrs. Lara traces back transportation routes and leads us through her personal photo album. Her impressions are classified by country, covering Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, and culminate finally in the “Special Photo Album” showing studio and ordered photos of the early 20th century featuring THE protagonist: BENTWOOD FURNITURE. Some of these photos are the work of quite famous photographs on a tour through South America, and among the furniture we discover here and there a curiosity. But more than a detailed study for experts, the book makes it convincingly plain: the Jack-of-all-trades in the furniture world, that really could be exported to all climatic areas of the world and remained there such an incredibly long time in use whereas in Europe it was successively replaced by its steel tube brother from 1926 on, can still amaze and enrapture us. All the adventure stories, telling us the deliveries on donkey back to the Amazone, aboard a totora reed-boot across the Titicaca Lake, or amid a ferocious storm aboard a tea clipper on its way to Chile, teach us once and for all: the Thonet always keeps afloat.

For its practical use and as valuable information, the book includes of course an index for sources and illustrations and also a select bibliography.

Additionally the editor assumed responsibility for the design, and we praise her for doing so. The presentation of the huge amount of pictures, the meticulous page layout, the accurate body text, everything is perfect. The color illustrations underwent absolutely correct pre-stage printing and printing procedures, which is very fortunate, and were treated according to their rank: as the Stars of the Book. If this book of 400 pages does not fall apart, it is thanks to its professional thread binding, and to top it all the I.L.B.S.A probably contributed with the family present of adding an opuscule and a cardboard case.

A definitely great Christmas present for all those who enjoy watching lovely things – be they books or wood furniture.

The book costs US$ 100 and is available in La Paz bookstores.