Pollock, born in Philadelphia, began his design education at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. He later won a scholarship to study at Pratt Institute, where he graduated in 1953. After serving in the US Army for two years, where he was art editor for INFANTRY Magazine; Pollock worked with George Nelson at Herman Miller. In 1958 he left Nelson's office and began a fruitful relationship with Florence Knoll until his retirement in 1965. Vincent Cafiero, a member of the planning unit, saw great promise in the designer and early prototypes of his 657 Lounge: an elegant essay in leather, steel and plastic. Pollock's 1250 series, an innovative collection of management chairs with anstructural aluminum rim, was an instant classic and is still sold today.
