Why was Edgar Brandt a leader in the field of ironwork?

Advertisements
Escalier Mollien Staircase, Musee du Louvre, Paris
Escalier Mollien Staircase, Musee du Louvre, Paris

Ornamental ironwork was produced in the 1920s using contemporary methods.

Edgar Brandt (1880–1961) was a French metalworker. He was known for his innovative designs incorporating traditional and modern techniques, and his work can be found in many public and private collections worldwide.

Edgar Brandt was a leader in the field of ironwork at the beginning of the 20th century. His work included everything from cutting-edge weapons to beautiful lighting and decorative metalwork. Brandt only bought from the best places when he needed other materials for his ironwork. Daum Freres of Nancy, one of the best glass companies, made the glass shades for Brandt’s Cobra lights. The porcelain came from Sevres, and the marble came from Italy.

Biography

Brandt was born in Paris, but his parents and grandparents were from Alsace. When he was young, he went to work for the well-known blacksmith Emile Robert. Early works included jewellery made of silver and larger pieces of ironwork. In 1905, he started getting noticed at the Paris Salons for these pieces. In 1919, Brandt opened his own atelier on the site of his father’s old arms factory. During the 1920s, he got many public and private commissions and was known as the best art deco ironworker. His ways of working were modern and careful. He used new machines and technologies that metalworkers hadn’t had access to before to make beautiful, seamless products. But almost all of Brandt’s workshops made things like radiator grilles and covers, firescreens, and-irons, mirror frames, console tables, pedestals, jardinieres, tables, floor lamps, and wall lamps.

Presentation Drawing for a Tall Side or Serving Table with a Wrought-Iron Base and a Glass Top by Edgar Brandt
Presentation Drawing for a Tall Side or Serving Table with a Wrought-Iron Base and a Glass Top by Edgar Brandt. The Met

Exhibitions

At the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, his many contributions included the Porte d’Honneur (which, because it was temporary, wasn’t made of expensive wrought iron but of a cheap alloy with Ruhlmann’s Hôtel du Collectionneur and his own aluminium finish), the gates for an ornamental metal-filled showroom, which featured his masterwork, LOasis, a five-panel wrought-iron and brass screen.

In 1925 and 1926, Brandt opened showrooms in both Paris and New York. Jules Bouy ran the New York showroom, Ferrobrandt, Inc., and the things it showed inspired many ornamental ironworkers in the United States. The Eternal Flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, the gate for the new French Embassy in Brussels, and a staircase in the Louvre were all projects for the public.

Sources

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

Edgar Brandt. (2022, December 28). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Brandt

Advertisements
Advertisements

Design Store

Books | Art Deco

Art Deco Design News

Six of the coolest art deco buildings in New York

Walter Chrysler began as a railway worker and founded an automobile empire. His 1929 Chrysler building embodies the American dream: briefly the world’s tallest building, and its exterior decorated with giant hubcaps and gargoyles modelled on Chrysler hood ornaments. The seven-storey spire, encased in sunbursts of steel, still has beautiful power.

This Immaculately Preserved 1920s Art deco Bathroom Belongs in a Museum

The art deco era may have happened a long time ago but it is still a popular vintage look that many homeowners strive to achieve in their homes. Art Deco was an extremely- and still is- popular design style of the 1920’s trialing into the 30’s.

Art Nouveau Jewelry: 7 Characteristics You Should Know

The exquisite style of Art Nouveau brooches and pendants is instantly recognizable. Their elaborate designs were supposed to not only imitate nature but surpass its beauty. Art Nouveau masters designed highly detailed, ornate objects as a response to ongoing industrialization, in order to show the true beauty of craftsmanship and one-of-a-kind creations.

Here’s How to Add Art Deco Design to Your Space

For those who wish they could live in The Great Gatsby and can’t pass up a geometric pattern, Art Deco style can bring all the glamour of the Roaring ’20s to a 21st-century space. Art Deco, short for Arts Décoratifs, is characterized by rich colors, bold geometry, and decadent detail work.

Best Art Deco drinks cabinets for mixing up cocktails in style

Shopping ES Best Home Home & Garden Furniture Home bars with luxe leanings The Evening Standard’s journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. I t may be the Roaring Twenties 2.0 but when it comes to home decor, many of us still favour statement pieces from the past.

A Designer’s Guide to Decorating in the Art Deco Style

Decorating in the art deco style means embracing a period that was popular in America and Europe during the 1920s and 1930s. It was a stark contrast to the more minimalist, nature-inspired art nouveau that preceded it. Like art nouveau, art deco affected all areas of the decorative arts, from interior design to fashion and car design.

More on Art Deco

  • Clément Mère (1861 – 1940) French designer and furniture maker

    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 →


    Learn More →

  • Genêt et Michon French Lighting Manufacturers

    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…


    Learn More →

  • SS. Normandie Art Deco Palace

    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 →


    Learn More →

  • Jan and Joel Martel (1896 – 1966) twin brothers and French sculptors

    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 →


    Learn More →

  • Groupe des Cinq French fraternity of designers

    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…


    Learn More →

  • La Paresse (1924 – 1925) by George Barbier

    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 →


    Learn More →

  • Paul Follot (1877 – 1941) French decorative artist and sculptor

    Paul Follot (1877 – 1941) French decorative artist and sculptor

    His early graphic design reflected a fascination with mediaeval and Pre-Raphaelite art. He joined Julius Meier-shop Graefe’s La Maison Moderne in Paris in 1901. He met Maurice Dufréne and designed bronzes, jewellery, and fabrics.Read More →


    Learn More →

More design articles

Advertisements

❤️ Receive our newsletter

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.