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  • Knoll Designer Max Pearson

Knoll Designer Bios

Max Pearson

Max Pearson joined Knoll in 1959 after completing coursework at the University of Michigan’s School of Design and the School for American Craftsmen at Rochester. As a member of Knoll’s Design Development Group, Pearson was actively involved in the cultivation of many major Knoll introductions in the 1960s as well as his own collection of office seating.

Pearson’s first design for Knoll ―the Model 46 Secretarial chair, introduced in 1961 ― succeeded Eero Saarinen’s Model 76 as the Planning Unit’s standard task chair. Five years later, Pearson applied his knowledge of engineering and craftsmanship to bring a singular elegance to his executive chair collection. Each component of the chair — the latex foam rubber seat cushions, the upholstering technique, the stainless steel cap base — displayed masterful refinement and attention to detail.