Ulmer Hocker, Max Bill, 1954

---

The Ulm Stool is rightly considered a functional and minimalist masterpiece. The clear geometrically-defined formal language refers back to Bauhaus and the furniture developed by Gerrit Rietveld in the first half of the 20th century. The multi-functionality and modular character of the stool anticipates themes which should play a central role in the design course of the HfG in Ulm and which are still of current concern. The stool was originally conceived for use in the newly established Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm (HfG). Bill who was the first appointed director of the HfG and his collaborator Hans Gugelot who soon emerged as one of its most important lecturers, came up with a brilliantly simple solution for the self-imposed design task. The stool could be inexpensively produced by simple means and ordinary materials in the own workshops. It was robust, comparatively light and very variable.