Modern Icons
Contemporary Furniture
“People still love paper, people still love books, people still love to collect. You don’t collect web sites, you don’t collect digital experiences.” — Richard Powell, Creative Director at Monocle
In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in twentieth century furniture, especially pieces by the likes of Jean Royère (1902-1981), Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999), Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) and Pierre Jeanneret (1896-1967), who’s ground breaking designs are lusted after by everyone from Emmanuel de Bayser to Kanye West. There are some who’s interest lies in provenance, a pieces significance or rarity and its contribution to the canon of architecture and design (West recently tweeted, “I honestly need all my Royeres to be museum quality … If I see a fake Royere Ima have to Rick James your couch”). Then there are those who see these items in much the same way as an Hermès Birkin, a status symbol that speaks of money, wealth and acquired good taste; ergo, the name is more important to them than the design itself. Even within their lifetimes, the work of such designers was revered — often expensive, luxury items, acquired by the haute bourgeois to furnish their lavish interiors. Whilst comfort and practicality are clearly requisite when designing a piece of furniture, it’s hard, if not impossible, to define what it is that will make a chair, table or cabinet an icon of design. Of course it’s often those pieces that start trends, that exploit new or previously unused materials, for e.g. tubular steel, fiberglass or lamination, but it might just be a particular flair for proportion and scale. Perriand and Prouvé were, in part, guided by an egalitarian desire to produce well designed furniture for the masses; with a proclivity for using off the shelf industrial materials. Royère, unswayed by these lofty inter-war ideals, was keen to introduce whimsy and humor, to create new and upbeat designs whilst harnessing traditional French furniture making techniques (even his tubular steel was a bespoke, as he found those readily available proportions to be clunky and inelegant). Today almost anything is possible, and the only real restraint is budget. The late Wendell Castle (1932-2018) demonstrated admirably the lengths to which expected forms and materials could be pushed, creating fantastical and futuristic furniture that blurred the lines between art and craft. With recent and astronomical auction records for pieces by the likes of Eileen Gray (1878-1976) and Diego Giacometti (1902-1985) it might be wise to invest in those contemporary designers producing what may very well be icons of the future.
“DC 1919” Side Table, in iridescent cast aluminium and brass (2019) by Vincenzo De Cotiis
Considered one of the protagonists of international collectible design scene, architect and artist Vincenzo De Cotiis (b. 1958) aims for “perfect imperfection”, achieved through an innovative appropriation of salvaged and reclaimed materials, distorted and damaged by time and ware, and reinterpreted through the integration of new and precious materials. His work, thus, is marked by an intellectual and artistic layering of ideas and mediums, tapping into the Italian creativity of the 1960s and 70s and producing works that are seemingly timeless. Much like the work of Wendell Castle (1932-2018), his one-of-a-kind pieces, including tables, seating, storage and lighting — each permeated by an understanding and appreciation of the beauty of patina generated by time — serve to diminish the boundaries between art and functional design. Available through Carpenters Workshop Gallery (www.carpentersworkshopgallery.com)
“190” Sofa upholstered in velvet with legs in black patinated oak by Pierre Augustin Rose
Pierre Bénard, Augustin Deleuze and Nina Rose, founders of Pierre Augustin Rose, carry on a tradition of luxury in French modernism. Combining an expertise and appreciation of art and antiques with contemporary design, they produce curvaceous, elegant pieces of great charm and sophistication. Despite an acknowledgment and understanding of their design predecessors, past and present never collide in their designs, but rather converge in a style that speaks of icons like Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) and Ico Parisi (1916-1966) without ever falling into pastiche or a regurgitation of mid-century style. Their oversized Minotaure armchair, inspired by Picasso’s iconic imagery, and elegantly curved 190 and 280 sofas are imbued with a timelessness and restraint, typically associated with the innovative work of French twentieth century masters. Available through The Invisible Collection (www.theinvisiblecollection.com)
“MO68” chair, bronze with leather upholstery (detail) by Philippe Anthonioz
Philippe Anthonioz (b. 1953) is often described as a “furniture sculptor” with a diverse portfolio of work that crosses the borders of design and fine art. The quality and finish of his artistic approach to every piece is nothing short of extraordinary. For Anthonioz practicality is of fundamental importance and whilst first and foremost a visual conquest, his works are eminently functional — sculpture that intervenes with daily life and living. Using plaster and bronze, Anthonioz lets the shape naturally take form. Upon starting out on a piece, he is uncertain whether it will be a chair or table, what the diameter will be and whether the legs will be round or square; as a result of this organic process, there’s a certain rawness in his work that remains after the original plaster moulds have been cast in bronze. Early in his career, in 1983, Anthonioz spent two years working under master sculptor Diego Giacometti (1902-1985), then 80 and suffering from arthritis, to create furniture and fixtures for the Musée Picasso in the historic Hôtel Salé — it was Anthonioz who did most of the fabrication and in doing so, he learned the ancient lost-wax casting method. Whilst the older artist’s influence can be seen in Anthonioz’s work, their aesthetics diverge radically; Giacometti was obsessed with figuration and the natural world, whereas Anthonioz has always been driven by abstraction (flora and fauna aren’t his thing). “People always speak of me in the same breath as Diego, but I think of Carlo Scarpa, David Smith or even the Bauhaus,” he says. Available through Galerie Dutko (www.dutko.com)
“Epines” cabinet, coromandel veneer, bronze (2002) (detail) by Hervé Van der Straeten
In the 1930s, the surrealists take on ancient mythology inspired decorators such as Marc du Plantier (1901-1975), Jean-Michel Frank (1895–1941) and Eugène Printz (1889-1948). Today their influence can be seen in the work of French designer Hervé Van der Straeten (b. 1965), for e.g. in his Epines (2002) cabinet, a unique piece, in which bronze thorns are inserted into the coromandel surface. Supported by heavy bronze feet, it’s truly intriguing, and a perfectly demonstrative the designers endlessly compelling works. Similarly in Etoile (2003), root-like bronze tendrils emerge from a convex mirror. Van der Straeten employs a team of around 25 artisans at his atelier in the Paris suburb of Bagnolet (identified as a Living Heritage Business by France’s Ministry of Culture, and in 2008 he was named as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettre) who turn his fanciful sketches into strikingly beautiful and original furnishings in a dizzying array of materials. Van der Straeten is truly one of the most imaginative designers of our generation, his works defined by poetic sensibilities, a sense for permanence, and a conceptual eloquence, creating pieces at once lyrical and strong. The designers Hip Hop pendant — a chain of hollow steel cubes that hang like a chain of tumbling dice — is destined to be a classic; whilst an electric blue-version references many of Van der Straeten’s varied influences, from Bauhaus to Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007) to Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879-1933) to the conceptual sculptor Tom Friedman (b. 1953). Available through Hervé Van der Straeten (www.vanderstraeten.fr)
“Papa Bear” armchair, oak frame upholstered in shearling, by Pierre Yovanovitch
French interior architect Pierre Yovanovitch (b. 1965) has a style distinctly his own. Favouring noble materials — precious woods, stone, marble and metal — he works closely with some of Europe’s most renowned artisans, as well as contemporary artists, such as Daniel Buren (b. 1938), Ugo Rondinone (b. 1963) and James Turrell (b. 1943), to create unique site-specific installations. His interiors, an amalgam of contemporary design and classic twentieth century furniture from the likes of Axel Einar Hjorth (1888-1959), Paavo Tynell (1890-1973) and T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings (1905-1976), represent a new kind of French savoir vivre. Yovanovitch’s collection of rotund bear-like armchairs are the contemporary equivalent of Jean Royère’s (1902-1981) whimsical and eternally desirable plush, rotund creations. Inspired by Goldilocks and the Three Bears, these plush, enveloping creations (in three sizes, Papa, Mama and Baby) are a tour de force, perfectly encapsulating the designers unique spirit and sense of creativity; each with soft, rounded forms, ear-like protrusions and spherical wooden feet. Handmade in France by Atelier Jouffre, their silhouette of soft rounded forms is instantly recognisable, bold, and yet, at the same time, elegant and understated. Available through The Invisible Collection (www.theinvisiblecollection.com)
“Stromboli” table (2015), patinated bronze with a white bohemian glass top by Eric Schmitt
Eric Schmitt (b. 1955) is one of the few artists continuing in the Art Deco tradition. Entirely self-taught, after a career in experimental music he decided to focus on sculptural furniture. His work centres around contemporary, fluid forms that have been melted, carved or blown using materials of invariable grace, such as bronze, alabaster and marble, as well as synthetic materials, Corian and anodized aluminium, that for Schmitt have become modern classics. In his workshop, at the edge of the Fontainbleau forest, he creates prototypes that are produced mostly in limited editions of 12 or 24, in a similar way to sculptures. At the cutting edge of art, architecture and design, Schmitt creates pieces that respect geometrical rules while symbolically evoking natural forms. “A piece of furniture needs to exude silence so it can be loved for a long time”, says Schmitt, who, somewhat averse to publicity, communicates through his art pieces; for e.g. the arch of a marble cabinet or silhouette of a Jarre table (2015) — which seems to be there “ad vitam aeternam” — speaks of the simplicity of Romanesque art and architecture, which dominates the Poitou region where Schmitt spent his childhood. With a modernity drawn from the past, Schmitt’s work has the monumental presence of sculpture, but with a functional core. Available through Galerie Dutko (www.dutko.com)