36
Jean Prouvé
Pair of “Tout Bois” chairs
- Estimate
- HK$150,000 - 200,000€18,100 - 24,100$19,200 - 25,600
Lot Details
oak, oak-veneered plywood
each: 62.2 x 42.9 x 48.6 cm. (24 1/2 x 16 7/8 x 19 1/8 in.)
Manufactured by Les Ateliers Jean Prouvé, France circa 1941.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Jean Prouvé designed the “Tout Bois” chair in the context of World War II when there was a shortage of steel. He created an all-wood version of his earlier Standard Chair in 1941 which bear the user’s weight to the front legs support. There were variations with and without visible tenons through the back legs, as well as a later demountable version which was developed in 1948.
Provenance
Literature
Jean Prouvé
French | B. 1901 D. 1984Jean Prouvé believed in design as a vehicle for improvement. His manufactory Les Ateliers Jean Prouvé, located in Nancy, France, produced furniture for schools, factories and municipal projects, both within France and in locations as far flung as the Congo. Though he designed for the masses, pieces such as his "Potence" lamps and "Standard" chairs are among the most iconic fixtures in sophisticated, high-design interiors today. Collectors connect with his utilitarian, austere designs that strip materials down to the bare minimum without compromising on proportion or style.
Prouvé grew up in Nancy, France, the son of Victor Prouvé, an artist and co-founder of the École de Nancy, and Marie Duhamel, a pianist. He apprenticed to master blacksmiths in Paris and opened a small wrought iron forge in Nancy. However it was sheet steel that ultimately captured Prouvé's imagination, and he ingeniously adapted it to furniture, lighting and even pre-fabricated houses, often collaborating with other design luminaries of the period, such as Robert Mallet-Stevens, Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand.
Browse ArtistProuvé grew up in Nancy, France, the son of Victor Prouvé, an artist and co-founder of the École de Nancy, and Marie Duhamel, a pianist. He apprenticed to master blacksmiths in Paris and opened a small wrought iron forge in Nancy. However it was sheet steel that ultimately captured Prouvé's imagination, and he ingeniously adapted it to furniture, lighting and even pre-fabricated houses, often collaborating with other design luminaries of the period, such as Robert Mallet-Stevens, Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand.