Niko KRAJL (1920-2013) Four armchairs in varnished natural wood. Edition: Stol Industrija Pohistva Rex H: 45 - W: 75- D 45 cm. The model is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Danish Design Museum in Copenhagen, and was exhibited in 2004 at the Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana. Niko Kralj (1920-2013) Known today as the king of Slovenian design, Niko Kralj was for many years one of the great unsung heroes of industrial design. The architect and furniture designer Kralj was known for his revolutionary chairs and tables, which perfectly combine functionality and pure lines. Elegant and space-saving, Kralj's iconic Rex folding rocking chair was created in 1956 - it embodies his elegant, laconic minimalism, conveying a sense of strength and fluidity in both its pleasingly geometric open form and its gracefully arched folded silhouette. Over the course of his career, too, Kralj forged close links with design giants such as Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Buckminster Fuller, Olof Pira and Ilmari Tapiovaara, all of whom, like him, advocated an aesthetic that straddles the line between elegant simplicity and pragmatism.