Art Nouveau: The French Aesthetic (hardcover)

Art Nouveau: the French Aesthetic

by Victor Arwas

Rarely has a subject been served by a book of this stature. Five years in the making, it covers all aspects of Art Nouveau in France in 624 authoritative pages and 740 illustrations.

Art Nouveau was controversial even in France. It took its name from the Paris emporium opened by Siegfried Bing. Le Figaro denounced it as having “the smell of the Englishman, of the Jewess or the cunning Belgian.” (Sunday Telegraph)

Arwas traces the evolution of the movement as it developed, primarily in Nancy and Paris, with the help of carefully chosen illustrations, many never published before. Ranging from the 1900 Paris exhibition to paintings, graphics and posters and such collecting fields as furniture, jewellery, ceramics, book bindings and sculpture, the informative, witty text ranges over architecture, haute couture, and the role of women in Art Nouveau with a detailed look at such theatrical icons as Sarah Bernhardt, Loïe Fuller and the Grandes Horizontales.

Destined to become the standard book on the subject, content and design will appeal widely to the connoisseur, the specialist and the collector, and the novice who will be introduced to the magical wonders of the style.

About the Author

“Victor Arwas died in 2010. Art Nouveau, the French Aesthetic, was his magnum opus. His conversation was always instructive and not pedantic. His taste was accurate as it was at times licentious; his appetite refined and insatiable; his humour at once generous and disabused. Without pretentiousness, he took art more seriously than life, though never solemnly. He also had an unequalled reputation for integrity and honesty, matching acumen with generosity and fidelity with fancy.” (The Guardian)

Shop Now

Books on French Design

* This website may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon and Sovrn affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

More on French Design

French Art Deco Fashions: In Pochoir Prints from the 1920s (Schiffer Design Books)

French pochoir prints from Art Deco era showcase women’s fashion designs, influenced by famous designers like Charles Worth and Jean Patou, showcasing their artistry and creativity.Read More →
Frechet Brothers French decorators and furniture designers

Andre Frechet (1875-1973) and Paul Frechet were French decorators and furniture designers. They were born in Chalons-sur-Mame; and active in Paris. Working together and individually from 1906, the Frechet brothers’ furniture designs were produced by various firms including Jacquemin freres in Strasbourg, E. Verot, and Charles Jean-selme; 1909-11.Read More →
Charles Plumet (1861 – 1928) French Architect Designer

In the year 1861, Charles Plumet was born. As an architect, he built structures in the mediaeval and early French Renaissance styles. He worked on interiors and furniture designs in Art Nouveau styles with Tony Selmersheim (1871–1971). Between 1896 and 1901, Charles Plumet joined l’Art dans Tout (Art in Everything), an association of architects, painters,…
Louis Midavaine (1888 – 1978) French Furniture Designer

Louis Midavaine (1888 – 1978) was a French accessories and furniture designer. He was born in Roubaix. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Roubaix.Read More →
Chaumet French Retail Jeweller since 1780

Chaumet, a French retail jeweller in Paris, offers unique and exquisite designs for men and women. With a wide range of jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings, Chaumet focuses on precision and care, using only the finest materials. The store also offers customization services and luxury watches from prestigious brands. The family-owned business continues…
Georges Champion (1889 – 1940) French Furniture Designer

Georges Champion, a French decorator and furniture designer, was known for his sleek lines and modern aesthetic. Influenced by the Art Deco movement, Champion’s furniture featured geometric shapes and bold colors. He worked on high-profile projects, including Parisian hotels and restaurants. Champion’s designs are highly sought after by collectors and design enthusiasts worldwide.Read More →
Léon Ledru (1855 -1926) French glassmaker

Léon Ledru (1855-1926) was a French glassmaker and designer. He was the manager of the design department of the Cristalleries du Val-Saint-Lambert in Belgium for 38 years. Through the work the firm showed at the 1897 Brussels ‘Exposition Internationale,’ he stimulated interest in avant-garde design.Read More →
Étienne Kohlmann (1903 – 1988) French interior designer

Étienne Kohlmann (1903 – 1988) was a French interior designer and decorator. He was born and raised in Paris, where he also worked professionally.Read More →
Claude Montana (b.1949) French Fashion Designer

Montana’s career in fashion began almost accidentally; he moved to London in the early 1970s “to escape studying,” having no plans and no work visa. Raising money by selling rhinestone-studded papier mache jewellery, he met a Vogue editor by happenstance and had his work featured in the magazine. Read More →
Paris: May 1968 Posters of the Student Revolt

In the turbulent days of May 1968 in Paris, a group of artists calling themselves the Atelier Populaire created posters that were vital in spreading the call to unite student and workers. The propaganda of the French revolt was fed by immediate pressures. The day by day events – the disruption of classes at Nanterre…
Jules-Emile Leleu (1883 – 1961) French sculptor and designer

Jules-Emile Leleu was a French sculptor and designer. He was born in Boulognc-sur-Mer. He studied at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Boulogne-sur-Mer,under Théophile Deman; private academy, Brussels. The Ecole Jean Goujon, Paris, under Secame and Ecole des Arts Appliques, Paris. Read More →
Le National Moblier, the institution for the French Decorative Arts

The Mobilier National is an institution attached to the Ministry of Culture that maintains, creates and distributes a unique collection of over 130,000 pieces of furniture and textiles. Its mission is to ensure the conservation and restoration of its collections, perpetuate and transmit exceptional know-how, and promote French decorative arts.Read More →
Martin Szekely (b.1956) French furniture designer

He started his career as a copper-plate engraver. In 1977— 1978, he designed furniture, notably the Ar stool, and VIA sponsored many of his early works. His first major triumph was a 25-piece furniture collection for the Sauvagnat firm, which he displayed at the 1979 Salon du Meuble in Paris. Read More →
Tony Selmersheim (1871 – 1971) French architect and decorator

Initially, he collaborated with architect Charles Plumet. Tony and Pierre Selmersheim worked together on furniture, furnishings, lighting, and the interior design of various structures.Read More →
Edmond Lachenal (1855 – 1948), French Sculptor and Ceramicist

Lachenal joined Théodore Deck’s studio in 1870 and later became director. He established his studio in Malakoff, near Paris, in 1880 and Chatillon-sous-Bagneux, France, in 1887. He decorated his pottery with stylized figures, landscapes, greenery, and flowers in the ‘Persian style’ influenced by Deck. Read More →
Abdi Abdelkader (b.1955) Algerian Designer and Teacher

Abdi Abdelkader is an Algerian designer who studied at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts and the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. He collaborated with Alessandro Mendini, established his design studio, designed furniture collections, and taught at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs.Read More →
Clément Mère (1861 – 1940) French designer and furniture maker

Clément Mère was born in Bayonne and active in Paris. He was a French painter, table-builder, artist and furniture builder. He studied painting with Jean-Léon Gérôme at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.Read More →
Raymond Subes (1893 – 1970), French metalsmith

Raymond Subes (1893–1970) was a French metalsmith. He made ironwork for the oceanliners 1931 Atlantique, 1926 Ile-de-France, Pasteur, and 1935 Normandie. After World War II, he worked as a metalworker and became the head of Borderel et Robert.Read More →
The Little Book of Burberry – The Story of the Iconic Fashion House

Burberry is renowned for its coveted designs, which balance tradition and innovation. This book reveals the story behind the brand and includes photographs from its humble beginnings in 1856 to current designs. Read More →
Max Ingrand (1908 – 1969) French artist and decorator

Maurice Max-Ingrand (1908–1969) was a French artist and stained glass artist. He was captured by the Nazis during World War II but returned to France in 1945. In 1968, he established Verre Lumière, one of the first businesses to manufacture halogen lamps.Read More →
Pascal Mourgue (1943 – 2014) French designer and artist

Pascal Mourgue is a French designer and artist. He was professionally active in Paris and the brother of Olivier Mourgue. He considers himself more of an artist than a designer. He is noted for modern yet timeless style. He designs products for both home and the office illustrate his belief that utility and fine art…
Jean Fouquet (1899 – 1964), French Jewellery Designer

In 1919, he joined as a designer in the family firm, 6 rue Royale, Paris; he was a friend of Louis Aragon and Paul Eluard. Between 1920—25, he collaborated on Le Corbusier’s and Amédée Ozenfant’s review L’Esprit Nouveau: Revue International d’Esthétique. In his jewellery, he developed a liking for abstract compositions. From 1931, his jewellery…
George Barbier one of the Great French Illustrators

George Barbier was one of the Great French Illustrators of the early 20th centuryRead More →
Jacques Gruber (1870 – 1936) French Stained Glass artist and designer

Jacques Gruber (1870-1936) was a French stained-glass artist, designer, and teacher, born Sundhausen, Alsace. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, under Gustave Moreau. He was distinguished as a designer in the Art Nouveau idiom. Read More →
Pierre Patout (1879 – 1965) French Architect and Designer

Following the war, he collaborated with his friend Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, a decorator. They worked together on designs for the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, which took place in Paris from April to October 1925 and gave the style its name. Read More →
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (b. 1949) French fashion designer

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (b. 1949) was a French fashion designer born in Casablanca. He studied law at Faculté de Droit, Limoges and founded the Ko ready-to-wear fashion firm in 1968. He was recognised for his avant-garde designs for women’s clothing featuring unconventional materials. Read More →
Tachisme – The Abstract Art Movement of the French 🇫🇷

Tachisme is frequently used interchangeably with art informel or Lyrical Abstraction to refer to the abstract art movement that flourished in Europe, particularly France, in the late 1940s and 1950s.Read More →
Léon Jallot (1874 – 1967) French designer and artisan

Léon Jallot (1874-1967), a scion of the French Art Nouveau, stood out within the movement as an ébéniste, or cabinet maker.Read More →
Jean-Paul Gaultier (b.1952) French Fashion Designer

Before launching his label in 1976, Gaultier worked for Cardin, Jacques Esteirel, and Patou. From the onset, Gaultier was dubbed the ‘enfant terrible de Paris’.Read More →
René Kieffer (1875 -1964) – French Bookbinder

René Kieffer was a gilder at the Chambolle-Duru bindery for ten years. In 1903, set up his workshop at 99 boulevard St-Germain, Paris. Later he moved to 41 rue St-Andre-des-Arts and finally, in 1910, to 18 rue Seguier. A disciple of Henri Marius Michel, his work shifted from classical forms to motifs in the Art…
Art Nouveau Style – antidote to mass production and consumerism

Art Nouveau – Everything Old is New Again It has been said about fashion today that “everything old is newRead More →
André Groult (1884 – 1967) French interior designer

André Groult (1884 – 1967) was a French interior designer and furniture designer who contributed to the Art Deco movement. Curving and organic shapes, as well as vibrant materials, characterised his work. As a result, his art has been described as a blend of tradition and modernism.Read More →
Georges Dunaime – Art Deco -French Designer

Georges Dunaime designed lighting for E. Etling, the designer and engraver. His work included table lamps, torchéeres, and chandeliers made of silver, gilt, and patinated bronze with shades made of cloth, cut glass, quartz, marble, and alabaster.Read More →
Armand-Albert Rateau – Art Deco High Style Designer

Armand-Albert Rateau (1882–1938) was a French furniture designer and interior decorator. His name and work became well known for his contributions to the Art Deco style, which was gaining popularity at the time. He created the fashion house Lanvin and ran the Lanvin-Décoration interior design department on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. He became one of…
Jean Prouvé (1901 – 1984), Father of High Tech Design

Jean Prouvé was a French metal worker, self-taught architect, and designer who bridged the gap between architecture and technology, influencing Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel, Rogers, Piano, and others. Prouvé developed the ‘murrideau’ (curtain wall) replaceable, moveable wall system and prefabricated furniture for the Université de Nancy. Jean Prouvé developed new ideas in the 1950s and…
Concorde a design classic

Concorde was developed jointly by British Airways and Air France. Concorde was the first and remained the only supersonic civilian aircraft to be put into commercial service. Read More →
Marcel Gascoin and how he got inspiration from the Ocean liner?

Marcel Gascoin (1907 – 1986) was a French furniture designer and decorator. He studied architecture, at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, under Henri Sauvage. Read More →
Marc Held (b.1932), French Designer & Architect

Marc Held is an architect and designer who focuses on the interaction between traditional and modern architecture, creating Limoges dinnerware, ski gear, automobiles, and homes.Read More →
Genêt et Michon French Lighting Manufacturers

Genêt et Michon was a French lighting manufacturer founded in 1911 by Philippe Genêt and Lucien Michon. After testing, they found that thick-pressed glass increased the number of reflections and brightness of light more than other types of thin glass. They were pioneers of the suspended luminous sphere and made ceiling dalles, lamps, lustres, wall…
René Gabriel (1890 – 1950) French Interior Designer

René Gabriel was a follower of Francis Jourdain who made wallpaper, fabric, rugs, and porcelain for the Manufacture de Sèvres. He also designed bent-metal tubular seating and structures, and opened Ateliers d’Art, Neuilly. He taught at the Ecole des Arts Appliqués and was the director of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. His work…
Henri Navarre (1885 – 1970) French Metalworker

Henri Navarre was a French sculptor, architect, silversmith, and glassmaker who was influenced by Maurice Marinot and exhibited his work at Galerie Edgar Brandt and Maison Geo Rouard.Read More →
Why was Edgar Brandt a leader in the field of ironwork?

Egdar Brandt was a French metalworker known for his innovative designs that incorporated traditional and modern techniques, and his work can be found in many public and private collections.Read More →
Christian Germanaz ( b. 1940 ) french industrial designer

Germanaz designed the Half and Half seat (1964), it was manufactured by Airborne in 1968. This consisted of two identical plastic shapes clamped together to form a bench.Read More →
École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs

The École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs was instrumental in the emergence of the Art Deco design movement and the development of modern design trends in the 1920s. Animation, photography, scenography, industrial design, communication design, interactive design, film, interior design, fashion, textile, and engraving are among the subjects taught at the School.Read More →
Maison Gripoix costume jeweller – glass with class

Maison Gripoix, a French costume jeweller, was located in Paris. Around 1890, Maison Gripoix sold glass beads and buttons wholesale. Subsequently, specialised in handmade imitations of precious and semi-precious jewels, including parures for Sarah Bernhardt.Read More →
Competition: C6 Herringbone griddle pan by Inga Sempé

The Herringbone pattern grill lines channel cooking juices to either of the two pouring spouts and the large power-grip handles optimise manoeuvrability. Read More →
Louis Rault (1847 – 1903) French sculptor, engraver and jewellery designer

Louis Rault (1847 – 1903) was a French Sculptor, engraver, silversmith and jewellery designer.Between 1868 and 1875, Rault worked in the Boucheron workshop on the Place Vendôme in Paris. At the end of the nineteenth century, he set up a workshop where he produced silver and jewellery in the Art Nouveau style.Read More →
Jean Goulden (1878 – 1946) French Artisan & Crafter

Jean Goulden was a French painter, musician, and crafter who lived from 1878 to 1946. During World War I, he found Byzantine enamels near Mount Athos in Macedonia. His Cubist pendulum clocks were some of his best pieces. Only 180 of his items are known to exist.Read More →
Claude Garamond (1510 – 1561) made the letter a living thing

Little is known about the early life of France’s most distinguished type designer Claude Garamond, though he is mentioned as being “at work” in the printing business early in the sixteenth century, Garamond was commissioned by the French monarch, Francis I, to cut a font of Greek letter which later became known as the “Royal…
Andre Hermant (1908 – 1978) French architect and furniture designer

In 1936, he became a member of UAM (Union des Artistes Modernes); after World War II, he participated in the reconstruction of the port of Le Havre under the direction of architect Auguste Perret.Read More →
Desny (1927 – 1933) French Design Firm

Desny was a Parisian lighting company founded in 1927 by designers Desnet and René Mauny and a business partner named Tricot. READ MORERead More →
André Mare (1885 – 1932) french furniture designer

Mare André was a french painter, decorator and furniture designer. He studied painting, at the Academie Julian, Paris. Read More →
Pierre Balmain (1914 – 1982) French fashion designer

Pierre Balmain (1914 – 1982) was a French fashion designer and the influential postwar fashion house Balmain founder. He described the art of dressmaking as “the architecture of movement,” and he was known for his sophistication and elegance. LEARN MORERead More →
Serge Mouille (1922- 1988) French Lighting Designer

Serge Mouille was a French Lighting Designer; he was born and active in Paris. Mouille studied silversmithing, École des Artes Appliqués, Paris to 1941.Read More →
Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (1925)

Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes was a vital exhibition that gave its name to ‘Art Deco,’ a rich vein of design across a wide range of applications, from cinemas to ceramics, textiles and tableware, and graphics to graphs.Read More →
Galeries Lafayette – Light on the Hill of European Design

The Galeries Lafayette reported revenue of more than five billion euros in 2019. Since 1960, it has belonged to the International Association of Department Stores. It now has a number of locations in France and other countries in addition to its flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris.Read More →
Maurice Dufrêne (1876 – 1955), French Decorative Artist

Maurice Dufrêne (1876–1955) was a French decorative artist who headed the Maîtrise workshop of the Galeries Lafayette department store. He designed many different types of decorative art, including metalwork, ceramics, glass, and fabric. His designs from 1910 onward are austere and neoclassical, reminiscent of the Louis XVI style.Read More →
Art Nouveau: The French Aesthetic (hardcover)

This book’s stature is rare. It took five years to compile 624 pages and 740 pictures about Art Nouveau in France. Arwas examines the movement’s development in Nancy and Paris using never-before-published pictures. The comprehensive, witty narrative extends over architecture, haute couture, and the role of women in Art Nouveau with a look at Sarah…
Suzanne Guiguichon (1901 – 1985) French Furniture Designer

Suzanne Guiguichon was a French furniture designer and decorator. She was born and worked in Paris. Since 1929 she worked as a designer with Maurice Dufrene at the Galeries Lafayette design studio La Maitrise in Paris. Most of the furniture, clocks, lighting, fabrics, rugs, accessories Guiguichon designed anonymously.Read More →
Alessi PSJS Juicy Salif Citrus Squeezer (Design Classic)

Alessi PSJS Juicy Salif Citrus Squeezer designed by Philippe Starck On a sunny day in the spring of 1989, PhilippeRead More →
Pierre Paulin (1927 – 2009) French furniture designer

He was active in research for the government-sponsored Mobilier International. His first plastic object was the 1953 Chair 157 in polyester, ABS, and elastomers produced by Artifort of Maastricht. Around 1955, he was one of the first to work in elasticised fabrics for Thonet and subsequently for Artifort.Read More →
Richard Peduzzi (b.1943) French Set and Furniture Designer

Richard Peduzzi (b.1943) is a French painter and scenic furniture designer. Education He studied drawing and sculpture under Charles Auffet.Read More →
SS. Normandie Art Deco Palace

The ship, its decor, and furniture reflected everything stylish, sophisticated, forward-thinking, and French when it was launched in the age of grand style, a decade after the successful exposition of modern design at the 1925 Paris exhibition.Read More →
40+ French Designers in the applied and decorative arts

The following posts are a selection of French Designers that I have posted about over the last year. French design styles incorporate the new and the old. It is bold and sophisticated. It is attention to detail, whether a brooch, a clock, fabric, or glass. Read More →
Jean Schlumberger (1907 – 1987) French jewellery designer

Jean Schlumberger (1907–1987), one of the most accomplished artists of the twentieth century, produced objects of unrivalled beauty. He was a man of exquisite taste, a jeweller who created extraordinary jewelled statements with a feeling of depth and life. Read More →
Marcel Guillemard (1886 – 1932) French Decorator & designer

Marcel Guillemard (1886 – 1932) was a French decorator and furniture designer. He was born and professionally active in Paris.Read More →
Boris-Jean Lacroix (1902-1984) 🇫🇷 French Lighting Designer

Boris-Jean Lacroix (1902-1984) was a French Lighting Designer born in Paris. Biography Lacroix was a prolific designer of lighting, wallpaper,Read More →
Eric Anthony Bagge (1890 – 1970) French architect and designer

Eric Anthony Bagge (1890 – 1970) was a French architect and designer. He was born in the town of Antony, near Paris.Read More →
Paul Poiret (1879 – 1944) – King of Fashion

In the early decades of the 20th century, Paul Poiret was a crucial figure in the French fashion industry, notably by adding a deep oriental flavour and rich colours to contemporary clothing. Read More →
Martine Bedin (b.1957) radical architecture and design

Bedin was one of the founders of the avant-garde Memphis group in Milan in 1981. Also, she has worked as an architect, industrial designer and professor. Her work is held in many important museums and private collections. Bedin’s aesthetic is typically colourful and self-consciously kitschy.Read More →
Jan and Joel Martel (1896 – 1966) twin brothers and French sculptors

Jan and Joel Martel (1896 – 1966) were twin brothers and French sculptors. They were born in Nantes and active in Paris. Cement, glass, steel, mirrors, ceramics, lacquers, and synthetics were all used in their projects.Read More →
Jean Patou (1880 – 1936) 🎩 Fashion Designer

One of Patou’s most famous customers was the French tennis champion Suzanne Lenglen, whom he dressed both on and off the court. This lean and active young woman epitomised the 1920s “new woman.” She created a furore in 1921 when she wore Patou’s knee-length pleated skirt, which revealed much of her legs when she ran.…
Andre Salomon (1891 -1970) French Lighting Engineer

He was an engineer at Tompson before setting up the small electrical firm Perfécla (Perfectionnement de I’Ecla), regularly working with architects and designers, including Pierre Chareau, and André Lurcat, René Herbst, and architect Robert Mallet-Stevens. For the latter, he produced the widely published 1929 lighting fixture designed by Francis Jourdain in the form of a…
Groupe des Cinq French fraternity of designers

Its members included Pierre Chareau, Raymond Templier, Dominique (André Domin and Marcel Genevriere), and Pierre Legrain. In 1926 and 1927, they showed their work as the Groupe des Cinq at Galerie Barbazanges, Paris. The gallery, at 109 rue du Faubourg St. Honoré, was designed by André Lurcat. The association is not to be confused with…
Pierre-Émile Legrain (1889 -1929) French Furniture Designer

He submitted cartoons in 1908 for Paul Iribe’s satirical reviews Le Témoin, L’Assiette au beurre, Le Mot, and La Baionnette. Iribe invited Legrain to collaborate with him on projects including furniture and interior design, jewelry for Robert Linzeler, and dress designs for Paquin.Read More →
Jacques Hitier (1917 – 1999) French furniture designer

He specialised in developing industrial furniture for public contexts like schools and government buildings after WWII. He exhibited his whole body of work at both the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs and the Salon des Arts Ménagers. Hitier also created luxury and high-end home furnishings.Read More →
Salon d’Automne exhibitions Paris, France

The founders of the Salon d’Automne were a collective of artists and writers, including Eugène Carrière, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georges Rouault, Édouard Vuillard, Joris-Karl Huysmans and Émile Verhaeren…Read More →
Francis Jourdain (1876 – 1958) – painter, interior designer, ceramicist

Francis Jourdain (1876 – 1958), the son of architect Frantz Jourdain, was born on November 2, 1876. His father created the Salon d’Automne collection. He benefited from his parents’ friendships with prominent intellectuals (Émile Zola, Alphonse Daudet) and artists of the time (the circle of Alexandre Charpentier). Read More →
René Lalique (1860 – 1945) French goldsmith and glassmaker

Artisan in glass and creator of family firm Cristal Lalique René Lalique was a French glass designer, jeweller, furniture designer,Read More →
Eileen Gray (1879 – 1976) Irish/French Furniture Designer

Eileen Gray was an French furniture designer and architect. Her work reflected a stylistic pastiche of far eastern and french influences.Read More →
Joseph and Pierre Moughin – French ceramicists

Joseph Mougin decided to become a ceramicist after seeing an exhibition of Jean Carriès’s pottery in 1894. He set up a studio and a kiln in Montrouge with the help of sculptor friend Lemarquier and his brother Pierre Mougin.Read More →
Jean Adnet (1900 – 1995) French designer

In 1928, Jean Adnet became director of the window-display department at Galeries Lafayette, where, in 1922, brother Jacques Adnet became director of its La Maitrise decorating studio; they collaborated under the name ‘JJ Adnet.Read More →
Boucheron French Jewellery House

Boucheron was a French court jeweller with branches in Paris, London, Biarritz, and New York. Founded by Frederic Boucheron (1858). Famous for elaborate diamond jewellery during the late 19th century. Expensive novelties shown at international exhibitions in Paris (1867 and 1900) and Philadelphia (1876) attracted wealthy customers (mainly American).Read More →
Formes Utiles – French Organisation and Exhibitions

In 1949, Formes Utiles became an independent association of UAM (Union des Artistes Modernes) through the influence of René Herbst and Charlotte Perriand and its first exhibition held at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. Its theoretician was architect André Hermant.Read More →
Henri Vever (1854 – 1942) collector of Ukiyo-e

Vever had acquired a collection of thousands of fine ukiyo-e prints by the early twentieth century. Vever’s collection was so well-regarded that the authors of some of the first European scholarly publications on ukiyo-e relied heavily on it for most of their actual print researchRead More →
‘Exposition Universelle’ Paris 1900

The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world’s fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next. It was held at the esplanade of Les Invalides, the Champ…
Alphonse Fouquet (1828 – 1911) French Goldsmith and Jeweller

His early jewellery was in neo-Greek and neo-Renaissance styles, indistinguishable from Vever, Fossin, Morel, and Mellerio.Read More →
René-André Coulon (1908 – 1997) furniture with tempered glass

René-André Coulon was a furniture designer from France. He did architectural studies until 1937. In his work, Coulon integrated tempered glass, some of which Hagnauer, Vienna, made. He designed the interior furniture of Adnet for Saint-Gobain.Read More →
La Paresse (1924 – 1925) by George Barbier

George Barbier, a French graphic artist, created this scene of cultured decadence. It is a pochoir print based on a 1924 watercolor; it appeared in the following year’s fashion annual, Falbalas et Fanfreluches. Read More →
Malvine Tcherniak (1894 – 1968) French/Russian Decorator

In the 1920s, she designed ceramics, textiles and wallpaper and domestic items for the Primavera department store of the Au Printemps department store, Paris.Read More →
Lucien Falize (1838 – 1897) French goldsmith and jeweller

Lucien Falize (1838- 1897) was French goldsmith and jeweller. He was active in Paris and son of Alexis Falize, father of Andre Falize. When his father retired in 1876, Lucien assumed directorship of the family business. He attempted to expand the business by showing at 1878 Paris ‘Exposition Universelle’ and becoming partners with Germain Bapst.…
Bapst et Falize French Goldsmith and Jewellery Firm

In 1752, Georges-Michel Bapst became King Louis XV’s jeweller and took over the direction of his father-in-shop, law’s Georges-Frédéric Stras. (Stras invented ‘strass,’ a colourless glass paste commonly used for jewellery in the 18th and 19th centuries.)Read More →
Danielle Quarante ( b.1938 ) French Furniture Designer

She began her professional career as a graphic designer, specialising in exhibition design. In 1966 she worked on product design (children’s furniture, hi-fi systems).Read More →
André Monpoix (1925 – 1976) French Furniture Designer

While working for Maxime Old, René Gabriel, and Jacques Dumond, they often collaborated with Alain Richard at Richard et Monpoix, designing furniture produced by Meubles TV.Read More →
André Lhote (1885 – 1962) French Artist and Illustrator

Lhote was born 5 July 1885 in Bordeaux, France, and learned wood carving and sculpture from the age of 12, when his father apprenticed him to a local furniture maker to be trained as a sculptor in wood. He enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux in 1898 and studied decorative sculpture until 1904.Read…
Jean Puiforcat (1897 – 1945) French Art Deco Silversmith

His silver work was based on the geometric series and had smooth surfaces. Pieces were embellished with ivory, onyx, lapis lazuli, and rosewood. He also used gilding.Read More →
Jean Luce (1895 – 1964) French ceramicist and glassware designer

French designer. He worked primarily in ceramics, but also designed for glass and gold. His ceramics, in an Art Deco style, were manufactured in Limoges Read More →
Jean-Michel Frank (1895 – 1941) French Interior Designer

After World War I, he worked as a cabinetmaker at Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann’s studio in Paris, where he met decorator Adolphe Chanaux, who had collaborated with André Groult and Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann on the 1925 Paris ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes.’ Read More →
Jean-Maurice Rothschild (1902- 1988) French decorator and designer

He began working in 1921 for Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann in Paris as a designer and artisan. He participated in the design of Ruhlmann’s ‘Hôtel du collectionneur’ at the 1925 Paris ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes.’Read More →
Eugene Printz (1889 – 1948) French Decorator and furniture designer

He set up his workshop at 12 rue Saint-Bernard in Paris, where he produced cabinets, rugs, drawings, and paintings. In 1930, he rendered the interior scheme of the boudoir of the Princesse de la Tour d’Auvergne in the Château de Grosbois, the private office of Jeanne Lanvin, the reception salon of Field Marshal Lyautey, and…