Gilbert Poillerat (1902 – 1988) was a French Designer and metalworker.
Education
Until 1921, he studied engraving at the École Boulle in Paris.
Biography
Between 1921 and 1927, he worked as a designer and creator of wrought-iron furniture and furnishings for metalworker Edgar Brandt on Paris’s Rue Marat.
In 1927, he started working for Baudet, Donon et Roussel, a carpentry and metal construction workshop. He was in charge of the new wrought iron section. Grillework, tables, chairs, consoles, screens, lighting, and firedogs were all designed and manufactured by him. Poillerat’s metalwork was rendered in characteristic winding calligraphic forms in various media ranging from jewellery to clothing.
He created an ornamental door with folk scenes for a scholarly group in Maisons-Alfort in 1934, low-cost jewellery for couturier Jacques Heim, and a bronze door for the ocean liner Normandie in 1935.
Work for the Bibliotheque Nationale and the Palais de Chaillot were among the commissions. He established his workshop and became a professor at the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs in 1946. After abandoning furniture and furnishings, he turned to monumental wrought-iron work, completing commissions for public and governmental buildings, as well as the Palais de l’Elysée.
In 1957, he designed the ironwork on the facade of Strasbourg’s new synagogue. He frequently collaborated with Jacques Adnet.
Exhibition
Poillerat’s grille was first seen at the 1928 Salon d’Automne, where he presented his work for the first time.
Sources
‘Astrolabes et Passementeries’ A Marble and Gilt-Wrought-Iron Table, circa 1946. GILBERT POILLERAT (1902-1988). (n.d.). https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5328840.
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.
Gilbert Poillerat (1902-1988) – Wrought Iron Lamps. AnticStore. (n.d.). https://www.anticstore.art/84476P.
Pair of Gilbert Poillerat Style Parcel-Gilt and Black Iron Wall Mirrors. For Sale at 1stDibs. (n.d.). https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/mirrors/wall-mirrors/pair-of-gilbert-poillerat-style-parcel-gilt-black-iron-wall-mirrors/id-f_15427272/.
Additional Reading
Brevik-Zender, H. (2018). Fashion, modernity, and materiality in France: From Rousseau to Art Deco. State University of New York.
Chadenet, S. (2001). French furniture: From Louis Xiii to Art Deco. Bulfinch.
Delacroix, H. (2017). Art Deco interiors. Dover Publications, Inc.
Goetz, A. (2021). Presidential Residences in France. FLAMMARION.
Goss, J. (2014). French art deco. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Hardy Alain-René. (2003). Art Deco textiles: The French designers. Thames & Hudson.
Verlet, P. (1991). French furniture of the Eighteenth Century. University Press of Virginia.
Wannenes, G. (2000). Eighteenth Century French furniture. Editions Vausor.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
More on French Designers
You may also be interested in
Bertel Gardberg Finnish Jeweller and Metalworker – Encyclopedia of Design
Bertel Gardberg was a Finnish jeweller and metalworker. Between 1938-1941 he studied at Taideteollin Korkeaukoulu, Helsinki. He began his working life in Copenhagen. Gardberg moved to Helsinki where hemaintained a studio between 1949-1966. He was responsible for stainless steel and silver designs produced by the Georg Jensen Solvsmedie; Galeries Lafayette department store, Paris and Kilkenny Design workshops, Dublin.
Jacob Prytz (1886 – 1962) Norwegian metalworker and designer – Encyclopedia of Design
Jacob Prytz (1886 – 1962) was a metalworker and designer from Norway. He was born and raised in Oslo, where he also worked. He studied at Kristiania’s Statens Hndverks-og Kunstindustriskole and in Paris. Before taking over as director of J. Tostrup in Kristiania from his father, Thorolf Prytz, he worked in London and Paris in 1912.
Robert Bonfils (1886 – 1972) French Graphic Artist, Painter and Designer
Born in Paris, Robert Bonfils (1886 – 1972) was a French graphic artist, painter, and designer. He studied at the École Germain-Pilon in 1903 and at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1906. He worked for Henri Hamm, a furniture designer.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.