Maker/Artist
Bassett, Florence Knoll
American furniture designer and entrepreneur, 1917-2019
American architect, designer, and furniture manufacturer. In the 1940s, she married and became a business partner of the German-born furniture maker Hans Knoll, and was co-founder of Knoll International in 1946. Hans Knoll died in 1955, and Florence succeeded him as president and held that post until 1960. She sold her interest in the company, but remained as design director until 1965, when she retired to a private practice in architecture and design in Florida. She is credited with creating the look and feel of America’s postwar corporate office environment, influenced by the Bauhaus.
