Knoll Pollock Arm Chair

Founded in 1938, Knoll uses modern design to connect people to their work, their lives, their world. Throughout its history, by embracing the creative genius at the Bauhaus School and the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Knoll has been recognized for creating residential and workplace furnishings that inspire, evolve, and endure. Today, Knoll’s commitment to modern design and dedication to sustainability have yielded a unique portfolio of products that continue to respond and adapt to changing needs.

Knoll has always remained true to the Bauhaus design philosophy that modern furniture should complement architectural space, not compete with it. At Knoll, modern design has been the guiding principle, and a passion shared by customers and design professionals worldwide. 

Born in Philadelphia, Pollock began his design education at Cass Technical High School in Detroit where he was considered a star student and won numerous art and design awards. He later won a scholarship to study at Pratt Institute, from which he graduated in 1953. After serving in the United States Army for two years where he was art editor for INFANTRY Magazine, Pollock worked with George Nelson at Herman Miller.

In 1958 he left Nelson's office and seeded a fruitful relationship with Florence Knoll through her retirement in 1965. Knoll Planning Unit Member Vincent Cafiero saw great promise in the young designer and early prototypes of his 657 Lounge, an elegant essay in leather, steel and plastic. Pollock's 1250 series, an innovative collection of management chairs with a structural aluminum rim, was an immediate classic and is still sold today as one of Knoll's most iconic designer collaborations and a visual symbol of the modern workplace.

In 2012, at age 82, Pollock introduced new products commissioned by Bernhardt Design to the American market for the first time since introducing his executive chairs for Knoll 47 years prior. His CP Lounge collection beautifully embodies his enduring design principles, continuous lines, aesthetics, and functionality.