AMSTERDAM.- The Rijksmuseum has acquired the prototype to the now world-famous Bone Chair by Joris Laarman. Designed in 2006 by the Dutch designer Joris Laarman (1979), the Bone Chair soon became an icon. Commissioned by Droog Design and the Friedmanbenda gallery, twelve chairs were made. It did not take long before they found their way to major design collections worldwide. The Bone Chair is on long-term loan to the Rijksmuseum and the paper prototype of the chair was donated by Droog Design and Joris Laarman. Both the chair and the prototype will be on display at the Rijksmuseum from 30 August to 26 September 2011.

The chair has a unique design which combines traditional craft with advanced digital design and production processes. During production, software was used that was developed by German Professor of Biomechanics Claus Mattheck in collaboration with car manufacturer Opel. The software imitates the growth structure of bones and was designed to enable the manufacture of lighter and stronger car parts.

While the Bone Chair follows in a long tradition of inspiration drawn from the functional beauty of nature, it is also a striking example of contemporary computer aided design. A model of the Bone Chair was created in paper and later in aluminium.

As the most modern acquisition, the Bone Chair will, for the time being at least, be the closing piece in the chronological display to be exhibited in the main building in 2013.