The present armchairs were designed by Jean-Michel Frank for the living room of industrialist and textile producer Robert Chevalier, whose residence Frank completed in 1927. Chevalier was married to Geneviève Gallé, the fourth daughter of the renowned glass artist Emile Gallé. Located in the town of Épinal, France, the residence featured many elements of a traditional Haussmann style building, such as extensive roof space and a courtyard. The project constitutes one of only a few Frank worked on in collaboration with other architects and designers; notably, in this case, the young Jean Prouvé, godson of Chevalier's wife, who was entrusted with designing doors and windows for the building.
This unique commission came with some explicit requests from Chevalier. His love for modern art was to be fully expressed within the interiors, so Frank’s predication for minimalism and austerity was moderately restrained in the client's favour towards bespoke furnishings more fitting to his sensibilities. The living room, the original location of the present armchairs, featured works of art from Chevalier’s collection by Marie Laurencin, which Frank paired with pale fabric-covered walls, carpet, and seating in a soft beige upholstery. This suite, from which only two of the armchairs remain, was designed and exclusively produced for the Chevalier interior and is to be considered amongst ‘the most notable designs’ by Frank conceived for the commission.
The present armchairs in the living room of Robert Chevalier’s residence, Épinal, France
Photo: Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank: l’Etrange Luxe du Rien, Paris, 2006Provenance
Robert Chevalier, Épinal
Thence by descent
Private Collection, France, circa 1970
Hôtel Drouot auction, Paris, 1984
Acquired from the above
Ferri & Associés, Paris, ‘Tableaux Anciens et Modernes, mobilier et objects d’art’, 4 December 2013, lot 288
Galerie Marchilhac, Paris, acquired from the above
Phillips, London, ‘Important Design’, 26 April 2018, lot 34
Acquired from the above by the present ownerLiterature
Léopold Diego Sanchez, Jean-Michel Frank, Paris, 1997, illustrated pp. 92, 93
Anne Bony, Les Années 30 d'Anne Bony, Paris, 2005, illustrated p. 750
Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank: L’Étrange Luxe du Rien, Paris, 2006, illustrated pp. 120, 121Artist Biography
Jean-Michel Frank
French • 1895 - 1941
Working in Paris, New York and Argentina, Jean-Michel Frank designed subtle, exquisitely proportioned furniture and lighting for sophisticated interiors. His elite roster of patrons included the vicomte Charles de Noailles, the businessman and politician Nelson A. Rockefeller, the couturier Elsa Schiaparelli and the perfumer Guerlain, among many others. Against the backdrop of the interwar period, Frank designed calm, subdued interiors that offered refuge from the chaotic world. His furniture, which was often clad in vellum, bleached leather or shagreen, featured clean lines and served to complement the art collections of his clients, which included works by Picasso, Léger and Matisse.
Σ44
Unique pair of armchairs, from the residence of Robert Chevalier, Épinal
circa 1927
Brazilian rosewood, fabric.
Each: 96 x 84.2 x 80.5 cm (37 3/4 x 33 1/8 x 31 3/4 in.)
Produced by Chanaux & Company, Paris, France. Together with a certificate of authenticity from the Comité Jean-Michel Frank.
Estimate
£15,000 - 20,000
Sold for £17,640
Head of Sale, Design
+44 20 7901 7944
Design
London Auction 12 May 2022
105
This lot is no longer available.
