Martino Gamper's '100 Chairs in 100 Days' Enters Permanent Museum Collection

Gallerist Nina Yashar acquired Martino Gamper's '100 Chairs in 100 Days' as an indivisible collection in 2009, resisting market pressure to fragment it. After nearly two decades as a nomadic archive shown at institutions globally, the 100-piece work is now entering a permanent museum collection. A final public viewing was held at Nilufar Warehouse in Milan. Yashar views herself as a custodian, not owner, and believes the collection's spirit will continue to inspire. Gamper created the chairs in 2007 by harvesting discarded furniture from London streets, later re-contextualizing the project in Tokyo, Melbourne, and Milan. He notes that discarded furniture quality has declined, with more IKEA pieces now. The project was a research endeavor exploring what a chair can be, free from industrial constraints. Gamper has made peace with the collection's institutionalization, having moved on to other work.