As we each sit in the iconic Meadmore Corded Chair (1951) – his most famous and common piece of furniture, and one of the few pieces of furniture we are allowed to use – we remembers sitting where it all began. .
Meadmore created the steel chair as a 20-year-old industrial design student at Melbourne Institute of Technology (now RMIT University). This was the first product to use his code for white Venetian blinds.
The chair, with its distinctive rubber knobs, was also the first piece Atkins and Harris purchased in 1999 after they moved from Sydney to Melbourne. “I couldn't believe Meadmore was available for $40,” Atkins recalls. “I found it at a small store that sells local clothing.”
They soon purchased a second piece, a wire chair (1958) in Newcastle, followed by a glass-top coffee table (1952) in St Kilda. “The next thing I knew, he had three pieces done,” Atkins said. “That's when we knew we were onto something.”
Clement Meadmore wire chair (model DC601A) circa 1958 (co-designer Michael Hirst) plastic-coated steel, vinyl and rubber 92x41x57 cm, Harris/Atkins collection.
As artists, the couple were already familiar with Meadmore's most famous, giant, gravity-defying Corten steel sculptures. However, their interest in mid-century modern design led to his early work with furniture and lighting. “Through the lens of his sculpture, we came to understand his industrial design and what he achieved with materials,” Atkins explains.
It also covered Meadmore's early life before leaving Melbourne for Sydney in 1960 and moving to New York three years later, where he achieved fame as a sculptor.
His avant-garde designs were seen as pioneering a new standard in Australian furniture and were soon embraced by architects such as Peter McIntyre and Robin Boyd. Meadmore, who died in 2005, also sold at leading design stores of the time, including Sydney's Marion Hall Best and Melbourne's Stuart and Andersons.
Clement Meadmore Glass Top Coffee Table (1962), painted steel, glass and rubber, 36x112x50 cm, Harris/Atkins Collection.
However, his furniture was a means to pursue his sculpture. Atkins explains that Meadmore became disillusioned with the local art scene and fled abroad. “It was a hostile environment,” Atkins said. “He was very bitter and he thought he was being treated badly.”
Nevertheless, the couple believe that the two fields are connected, and that one informs the other. “Meadmore didn't just come to America and start making monolithic sculptures,” Harris says. “He already had this great legacy.”
Atkins points out similarities between Meadmore's furniture design language and his sculptures, both of which enjoy minimalist, weightless forms. “Furniture is connected to sculpture,” he says, citing works such as the tripod plywood chair and Calix his Standard Lamp (1955).
What further piqued the couple's interest was the thrill of the chase. “It's in our nature as artists to collect things,” Atkins says.
They were lucky to find a catalog of Meadmore's designs at the Caroline Simpson Library in Sydney. “That became our shopping list,” Atkins says.
Peter Atkins and Dana Harris in their home and studio among Clement Meadmore's collection of iconic industrial designs. Alcine Hospian
For over 25 years, the pair have traveled throughout Australia and overseas, browsing vintage shops, markets, auction houses and online, building a loose network of contacts, acquaintances and other collectors. “Binny's Op Shop at the end of the street was a treasure trove,” Atkins says.
Meadmore's handcrafted dining table and corded chairs with block armrests were listed in the real estate listing, which said “purchase required a second mortgage.” Recliner (1953) manufactured by Ballarat. His Sling Chair in Detroit (1963) was purchased on his eBay.
Two Meadmore tractor stools have been captured at Camberwell Market, where they appear weekly. However, they initially overlooked the table because they were concerned about its provenance and the pitfalls of collecting it. “When I came back, it just sold,” Atkins said. “I was devastated.”
What is clear is that every piece has a story. One woman, who is in her 90s, remembers Meadmore delivering tables himself. Another, a friend of Meadmore's, recalls that Hawthorne purchased a prototype of her cantilever chair (1954) in her studio.
The green light, commissioned in 1956 for the defunct T House Café in Melbourne, was presented to the couple by its owner and displayed above the bar in their home. He died six months later and his home was demolished. “It could have just disappeared,” Atkins said. “We think this is the most important light fixture in the country.”
That's the problem. Many of their prized pieces are rare, such as one-off consignments, last-minute pieces, or small-batch productions. A sling footstool made to accompany a Meadmore chair purchased online in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 lockdown never made it into production. “Nobody even knew it existed,” says Atkins, who rushed to New York to pick it up during the lockdown.
The exhibition will also include chairs that Atkins and Harris flipped during the pandemic, as well as designs taken from Meadmore's book. How to make furniture without tools.
Importantly, this couple required persistence and patience. They acquired the studded leather chair last year from a collector who had been chasing it for 10 years after it was sold at auction. “This is pure Bauhaus craftsmanship.'' Their recent purchase, a custom glass-top table from Sydney's Elizabeth Bay, took 15 years of negotiations that “almost killed us”.
Clement Meadmore Side Table 1954, Reverse Cantilever Chair 1954, Corded Chair 1951, Legend Espresso and Milk Bar Chair 1955. Harris/Atkins Collection.
The show was originally scheduled to feature 25 works, but the number increased to 30 due to a flurry of acquisitions. “His three points at the end almost bankrupted us,” Atkins said. “The collection has to have the best pieces.”
The couple previously lent the items to Melbourne's Potter Museum for a retrospective exhibition in 2018-2019. Importantly, Atkins and Harris believe that the Tarawala exhibition will help confirm Meadmore's position. “He's the best to ever come out of this country,” Atkins insists.
Mr. Harris and Mr. Atkins refer to themselves as administrators. In the long term, they hope their collection will be housed in a prominent location such as the National Gallery of Victoria.
“We think of this as a national collection,” Atkins said. “Who knows if it might end up in MoMA in New York?”
Clement Meadmore's Industrial Design: Harris/Atkins Collection; and super systems, Peter Atkins and Dana Harris.with systems and structures, A selection of works from the Tarawala Museum collection, March 23 – July 14, 313 Healesville-Yarra Glen Road, Healesville, twma.com.au
