Vintage folding rocking chair Rex by Niko Kralj – Slovenia, circa 1970.

Vintage rocking chair, old Rex by Niko Kralj, made of steam-bent beech and perforated plywood, with a slatted seat and backrest on curved rockers. Originating from Slovenia (formerly Yugoslavia), from the third quarter of the 20th century, when the Stol Kamnik factory produced the Rex system designed by architect Niko Kralj for decades. The Rex system was born in 1952 when Niko Kralj (1920–2013), an architect trained in Ljubljana, patented a fully wooden folding chair that was lightweight, stackable, and intended for mass production. The piece quickly became an icon of Yugoslav modernism: it won a gold medal at the 1956 Milan Triennale and has been continuously featured in the permanent collection of MoMA in New York. The rocking chair version extends the system into a folding lounge seat, constructed with the same industrial components. The construction reads like a manual of industrial efficiency. The frame is made of solid beech, turned and steam-bent, assembled with visible brass screws at the pivot points. The seat and backrest are two continuous panels of perforated beech plywood with parallel slits — the slits provide flexibility while simultaneously defining the model's characteristic silhouette. The armrests are flat pieces of moulded plywood, and the rockers are two curved arcs that connect to the legs through a system of wedges and pivots. The entire chair folds flat against the wall. Details. Dimensions: Length 89 cm – Depth 59 cm – Height 81 cm – Seat height 40 cm. Style: Vintage mid-century Yugoslav (Niko Kralj for Stol Kamnik) Materials and techniques: Steam-bent solid beech and perforated beech plywood; brass screws; assembly with pivots and wedges; natural varnish. Place of origin: Slovenia (formerly Yugoslavia) — Stol Kamnik. Period: Third quarter of the 20th century. Date of manufacture: Circa 1970. Condition / Observations: Good. Some marks from use.