Mies van der Rohe first unveiled his steel tube chairs in 1927 with designs that replaced the right angles of the fronts legs with a sweeping arc.

Inspired by Marcel Breuer's efforts with tubular steel, the chair’s cantilever construction offered both functional and aesthetic benefits. It provided a high level of comfort and enhanced elasticity while preventing material fatigue. Additionally, the use of steel tubing brought forth a revolutionary lightness, departing from the conventional bulk of traditional upholstered chairs.

The MR20 Chair thus endures as one of Mies van der Rohe's most recognisable designs (alongside its companion, the MR10) marrying form and function in the evolution of steel furniture.