Hans Coray completed a doctorate in Romanic languages from the University of Zurich in 1929, and the following year he began designing objecs for everyday use such as lunch bags and metal ski tips. In 1938 he designed his first and most well-known piece of furniture the Landi Chair, as the official chair for the Swiss National Exhibition- Landi Schweizerische Landesausstellung in 1939.
The official chair the exhibition committee wanted should be new from all aspects. Landi Chair was one of the very first chairs made entirely of aluminum which was very unusual as material in furniture and therefor the chair was consequently noticed as pioneering. Landi Chair reflects Hans Coray's design philosophy where form follows function and material.
The chair is relevant on the market even today, thanks to its qualities as light, stackable and durable in outdoor environments. During the 1950s it was produced by the Swiss company Mewa, but is since 2014 a part of Vitra’s furniture range.
From 1941 to 1944 Coray worked as a jewelry and metalwork designer, when he became a member of the Swiss Werkbund where he stayed until 1947. During the late 1940 Coray began working as an artist mainly in metalworks and oil paintings. As an artist he was closely associated with artist of Dada and the Concrete Art Movement in Zurich.
In 1950 Coray opened a studio for product design from which he designed several objects for manufacturers such as Wohnbedarf in Zürich. During the late 60’s Coray worked as a teacher in woodworking at a vocational school. During the 1980’s Hans Coray was the subject of two solo exhibitions at the Städtische Galerie zum Strauhof and at the Gestaltung Zürich – Kunstgewerbemuseum. Coray died in 1991 at the age of 85.
