Jean Prouvé

Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) was one of the pioneers of innovative furniture and architecture production in the 20th century. Anxious to be part of his era, he explored all the technical resources of metal and quickly moved from working with wrought iron to constructive applications of folded sheet metal. He was imbued with the creative philosophy of the Ecole de Nancy, whose main aim was to combine art with industry to make it accessible to all. Metal carpentry, the first pieces of furniture, architectural elements and dismountable buildings were produced in small series from the 1930s onwards. Although Jean Prouvé began by making entrance gates, stair railings, guardrails and skylights, he began designing his first furniture in 1924. Having discovered electric welding and applied various shaping techniques, he turned to sheet steel, a material that allowed him to obtain a "hollow body" adding its strength to that of the frame: the articulated seat chair of 1929 is a typical example. The use of this metal is found in most of the furniture that mark his career; Jean Prouvé will also frequently use aluminum (both in the field of housing and interior design) in the form of folded sheet or molded parts. Source: Galerie Patrick Seguin