Jean Royère - Design London Tuesday, October 31, 2023 | Phillips
  • Provenance

    Galerie L'Atelier, Beirut
    Mr Ali Bazzi, Beirut, acquired from the above, circa 1955
    Thence by descent to the present owner

  • Catalogue Essay

    The present model coffee table is documented in the Jean Royère archives at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, under drawing number no. 6347, designed for the Hotel Philadelphia.

  • Artist Biography

    Jean Royère

    French • 1902 - 1981

    Jean Royère took on the mantle of the great artistes décorateurs of 1940s France and ran with it into the second half of the twentieth century. Often perceived as outside of the modernist trajectory ascribed to twentieth-century design, Royère was nonetheless informed by and enormously influential to his peers. Having opened a store in Paris in 1943 before the war had ended, he was one of the first to promote a new way of life through interior decoration, and his lively approach found an international audience early on in his career.

    In addition to commissions in Europe and South America, Royère had a strong business in the Middle East where he famously designed homes for the Shah of Iran, King Farouk of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan. The surrealist humor and artist's thoughtful restraint that he brought to his furniture designs continue to draw admiration to this day.

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PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED LEBANESE FAMILY

10

Coffee table

circa 1955
Painted iron, plastic-laminated wood, painted wood.
33.6 x 85.2 x 73.8 cm (13 1/4 x 33 1/2 x 29 in.)

Estimate
£120,000 - 180,000 ‡♠

Contact Specialist

Antonia King
Head of Sale, Design
+44 20 7901 7944
Antonia.King@phillips.com

 

Design

London Auction 31 October 2023