Henri Rapin (1873 – 1939) French Artist and Decorator

Henri Rapin (1873-1939) was a French artist and decorator. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Jean-Leon Gerome and J. Blanc.

Biography

Rapin worked as a painter, illustrator, furniture designer, and decorator. From 1903, his furniture was generally simple. From 1910, he began to produce more elaborate designs using exotic materials and carved wood panels by Eve Le Bourgeois and Charles Hairon. These designs were in response to the challenge from the designers of the Münchner Vereeingite Werkstätten für Kunst in Handwerk exhibiting at the Salon of the same year. In 1924, he became a principal at the Manufacture Nationale de Sevres and artistic director of Ecole du Comite des Dames de l ‘Union Centrale des Arts Decoratifs. Some of his furniture was produced by Evrard. He designed numerous interiors of theatres, music halls, and shops in Paris.

Creative Director at Moynat

From 1905 to 1930 Rapin was the artistic director at Moynat, the oldest established French trunk maker. At the 1925, International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts, Rapin’s design for a red Morocco leather trunk, was awarded the “Diplôme d’Honneur” and contributed to Moynat’s reputation as the leading luxury luggage producer of the era.

Ceramic Work

From 1920 to 1934 Rapin also contributed as an aesthetic advisor to porcelain manufacturer Sèvres. Ceramic blanks for lighting fixtures proved commercially successful, enabling in 1927 Sèvres to reduce its financial dependence on the French state.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The Design Encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL

Wikipedia contributors. (2021, April 6). Henri Rapin. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10:15, July 1, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henri_Rapin&oldid=1016359706