Jean Prouvé, Coatrack, 1955
About the Item
- Creator:Jean Prouvé (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 59.06 in (150.02 cm)Width: 87.2 in (221.49 cm)Depth: 22.64 in (57.51 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1955
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2626318470172
Jean Prouvé
Engineer and metalsmith, self-taught designer and architect, manufacturer and teacher, Jean Prouvé was a key force in the evolution of 20th-century French design, introducing a style that combined economy of means and stylistic chic. Along with his frequent client and collaborator Le Corbusier and others, Prouvé, using his practical skills and his understanding of industrial materials, steered French modernism onto a path that fostered principled, democratic approaches to architecture and design.
Prouvé was born in Nancy, a city with a deep association with the decorative arts. (It is home, for example, to the famed Daum crystal manufactory.) His father, Victor Prouvé, was a ceramist and a friend and co-worker of such stars of the Art Nouveau era as glass artist Émile Gallé and furniture maker Louis Majorelle. Jean Prouvé apprenticed to a blacksmith, studied engineering, and produced ironwork for such greats of French modernism as the architect Robert Mallet-Stevens. In 1931, he opened the firm Atelier Prouvé. There, he perfected techniques in folded metal that resulted in his Standard chair (1934) and other designs aimed at institutions such as schools and hospitals.
During World War II, Prouvé was a member of the French Resistance, and his first postwar efforts were devoted to designing metal pre-fab housing for those left homeless by the conflict. In the 1950s, Prouvé would unite with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret (Le Corbusier’s cousin) on numerous design projects. In 1952, he and Perriand and artist Sonia Delaunay created pieces for the Cité Internationale Universitaire foundation in Paris, which included the colorful, segmented bookshelves that are likely Prouvé’s and Perriand’s best-known designs. The pair also collaborated on 1954’s Antony line of furniture, which again, like the works on 1stDibs, demonstrated a facility for combining material strength with lightness of form.
Prouvé spent his latter decades mostly as a teacher. His work has recently won new appreciation: in 2008 the hotelier Andre Balazs purchased at auction (hammer price: just under $5 million) the Maison Tropicale, a 1951 architectural prototype house that could be shipped flat-packed, and was meant for use by Air France employees in the Congo. Other current Prouvé collectors include Brad Pitt, Larry Gagosian, Martha Stewart and the fashion designer Marc Jacobs. The rediscovery of Jean Prouvé — given not only the aesthetic and practical power of his designs, but also the social conscience his work represents — marks one of the signal “good” aspects of collecting vintage 20th century design. An appreciation of Jean Prouvé is an appreciation of human decency.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Paris, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Jean Prouvé, Panel, 1954By Jean ProuvéLocated in Paris, FRThis panel comes from the facade of the Hôpital de Briançon in France, designed and made by the Ateliers Jean Prouvé in 1954.Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Architectural Elements
MaterialsAluminum
- Jean Prouvé, Dactylo CD 11 Chair, 1944By Jean ProuvéLocated in Paris, FRBent sheet steel, steel tube and molded plywood Measures: H. 83 x L. 40 x P. 50 cm H. 32.68 x L. 15.75 x D. 19.69 inches.Category
Vintage 1940s French Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Jean Prouvé, Panel, Institut de l'Environnement, 1969By Jean ProuvéLocated in Paris, FRThis panel comes from the facade of the Institute of the Environment, built in Paris in 1969. The institution closed in 1972, and the building was later used by the Ecole Nationale S...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Architectural Elements
MaterialsMetal, Aluminum
- Jean Prouvé, Cafétéria n°512 Table, a.k.a "Compas" Table, circa 1950By Jean ProuvéLocated in Paris, FRBent sheet steel and laminated wood top H. 68.5 x L. 130 x P. 70 cm H. 26.97 x L. 51.18 x D. 27.56 inches.Category
Vintage 1950s French Desks
MaterialsSteel
- Pierre Jeanneret, Console, circa 1955-1956By Pierre JeanneretLocated in Paris, FRTeak Measures: H. 75.5 x L. 119.5 x P. 43 cm H. 29.72 x L. 47.05 x D. 16.93 inches Provenance: Chandigarh, IndiaCategory
Mid-20th Century Asian Console Tables
MaterialsTeak
- Pierre Jeanneret, "Office" Chair, circa 1955-1956By Pierre JeanneretLocated in Paris, FRWood and wicker Measures: H. 80 x L. 51 x P. 47.5 cm H. 31.5 x L. 20.08 x D. 18.7 inches Intended for the secretariat and various administrative buildings, Chandigarh, India.Category
Mid-20th Century Indian Chairs
MaterialsWicker, Teak
- French Cabinet in the Manner of Jean ProuvéBy Jean ProuvéLocated in Los Angeles, CAFrench cabinet in the manner of Jean Prouvé.Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsWood
- Jean Prouvé with Guy Rey-Millet, Ski Rack Locker, France, circa 1967By Jean Prouvé, Guy Rey-MilletLocated in Nice, Cote d' AzurJean Prouvé with Guy Rey-Millet, Ski rack locker, Refuge de la Vanoise, CAF, Les Arcs, France, circa 1967. Similar model: Atelier d'architecture en Monta...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsWood
- Cabinet from 1950 Reminds Works of Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Le CorbusierBy Jean Prouvé, Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand Cassina, Charlotte PerriandLocated in Paris, FRBuilt between 1945s-1950s, this unique rectangular "cabinet" with an oak structure and oak veneer, resting on a black wooden base and with three aluminum covered sliding doors with f...Category
Mid-20th Century French Cabinets
MaterialsAluminum
- Fläpps Wardrobe / Coatrack Hillhang, IcemountainLocated in Berlin, BE"""Hang your Jacket on Mont Blanc!"" Who can boast a hallway with a mountain view? The Fläpps Coat Rack provides just that! When your guests arrive, unfold this unusual mountain p...Category
2010s German Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsPlywood
- Fläpps Wardrobe/Coatrack Hillhang - WhiteLocated in Berlin, BE"Hang your Jacket on Mont Blanc!" Who can boast a hallway with a mountain view? The Fläpps Coat Rack provides just that! When your guests arrive, unfold this unusual mountain panor...Category
2010s German Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsPlywood
- Carl Auböck Coatrack Wardrobe, Beechwood Patinated Brass Bronze Hooks, 1950sBy Werkstätte Carl AuböckLocated in Hausmannstätten, ATA coat rack by Carl Auböck, Vienna, Austria, manufactured in midcentury, circa 1950. It is made of a beechwood frame in an aged and very warm tone. There are six patinated brass hooks (similar to bronze) which can be positioned randomly on the rows. This wardrobe is in very good original condition with only little wear. About Carl Auböck II 25 August 1900, Vienna (Austria)-17 July 1957, Vienna (Austria) Carl Auböck was an Austrian painter and designer of the Classic modern movement. His best-known designs include the Baumtisch (eng. "tree table") and the Umkehrlampe (eng. "reversible lamp"). Auböck began his apprenticeship as a bronze worker and chaser in his father's workshop. From 1917-1919, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. After this, he followed his teacher Johannes Itten to the Bauhaus in Weitmar and became friends with the director, Walter Gropius. Little over a year later, he left in order to take over his father’s workshop in Vienna and raise a family. Here, through his circle of friends and acquaintances, he became convinced of the ideas of Adolf Loos and developed into an opponent of the Viennese workshops. Alongside his Viennese bronze and Art Deco design work for the domestic and American markets, he began to produce paintings and drawings. The styles he developed in the early 1940s for everyday objects achieved cult status after the Second World War. In May 1945, he served a six-month prison sentence in the Vienna District Court I due to his membership in the NSDAP. At the end of the 1940s, he worked with his son Carl in the workshop. In 1954, he was awarded a total of four gold medals at the Triennale in Milan. In 2010, Auböck’s works were placed under protection by the Austrian Federal Monuments Office (BDA). Hundreds of original designs were produced during his long creative career but his Baumtisch and Umkehrlampe are outstanding examples. Carl Auböck / Carl Aubock...Category
Vintage 1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
MaterialsBrass
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Jean Prouvé’s Humble Prefab Homes Are Now Highly Sought After
The French modernist made temporary, transportable residences that were intended for refugees. Today, those structures are collector trophies.
10 Covetable Things You’ll Find at Design Miami
Get a sneak peak at some of the singular pieces that will be on display at this year's show, which range from vintage masterpieces by legendary makers to innovative creations from emerging talents.