Pierre Patout - Design London Wednesday, April 26, 2023 | Phillips

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  • In 1957, the pioneering architect Pierre Patout was commissioned to rebuild the public library of the city of Tours on the banks of the river Loire, after its original building had been burnt down by the Germans in 1940. Together with fellow architects Charles and Jean Dorian, he designed the exterior as well as furnishings for the interior spaces, including the present double-sided bookcase which was used as room divider and shelving unit for books. Patout was one of the major figures of the Art Deco movement and a key proponent of Streamline Moderne design. His works include the design of the main entrance and the Pavillion d'un Collecteur at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris in 1925, and the interiors of the ocean liner Normandie and other French transatlantic liners in the 1930s.

    • Provenance

      Bibliothèque Municipale, Tours
      Piasa, Paris, 'Vente du mobililer de la bibliothèque municipale de Tours réalisé par Pierre Patout et les frères Dorian', 19 May 2012
      Acquired from the above
      Sotheby's, Paris, 'Important Design', 17 December 2020, lot 72
      Acquired from the above by the present owner

64

Double-sided bookcase from the bibliothèque municipale, Tours

circa 1957
Oak, oak-veneered wood, Brazilian mahogany, painted steel.
200.5 x 179.1 x 83.1 cm (78 7/8 x 70 1/2 x 32 3/4 in.)

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
£3,000 - 5,000 Ω

Sold for £6,350

Contact Specialist

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

Design

London Auction 26 April 2023