GEORGES DE FEURE. Two armchairs and three Art Nouveau chairs, circa 1900.

GEORGES DE FEURE (Paris, 1868 - 1943). Set of two Art Nouveau armchairs and three chairs, ca. 1900. Carved and gilded wood. Measurements: 110 x 67 x 54 cm (armchairs); 92 x 44 x 46 cm (chairs). Set made up of two armchairs and three chairs, designed to match with a structure in carved and gilded wood, with sinuous and stylised lines that are a nod to rococo. In fact, this language bears numerous similarities to Art Nouveau, given that, like Art Nouveau, it is an anti-classical style that seeks naturalism, movement and formal delicacy. Thus, we see seats with a light structure and flowing lines, although clearly Art Nouveau in their sinuosity and forms. Both the chairs and the armchairs stand on eminently straight legs, softened by curved lines that start from carved mouldings and unify the shape of the leg with that of the waist, seeking a unitary appearance, almost organic in character. The backrests are open, with a central paddle in the lower part, and have upholstered upholstery at the top. The top of the backrest is in the shape of a lowered "u", with a smooth, moulded profile, matching the rest of the structure. The lower panel is openwork, with flamboyant shapes that evoke the organic, the living, without being specific, which is typical of Art Nouveau. The armchairs have closed sides, with upholstered upholstery like the backrest and seat. The arm cross is slightly recessed from the waist, in the rococo manner, and is intricately carved with soft, flowing lines. Georges Joseph van Sluÿters, better known by his artistic name Georges de Feure, was the son of an influential Dutch architect living in Paris. He began his training in the book trade in The Hague, where he came into contact with Symbolism. In 1886, de Feure was one of eleven students admitted to the Rijkscademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, although he soon dropped out after deciding that traditional academic training had nothing to offer him. Back in Paris in the late 1880s, he settled in Montmartre, where he frequented the Parisian bohemian life. In 1890 he became a pupil of Jules Cheret, and began to design posters for the Salon Des Cent, Loie Fuller and Thermes Liegois. During the early years of his career he acquired renown as a Symbolist painter, and Puvis de Chavannes considered him one of the most important painters of that movement. In the following decade he was also recognised as a talented poster painter and illustrated books such as Marcel Schwob's "La Porte des Réves" (1899). De Feure exhibited his paintings at the Societé Nationale in 1894, at the Salon de la Rose Croix in 1893 and 1894, and at the Munich Secession in 1896. He was also interested in design, in everything that made up the decoration of a house; he created designs for printed fabrics, porcelain, stained glass... In the 1890s he was appointed professor of decorative arts at the École des Beaux-Arts. His first commissions were illustrations and set designs, until he was finally discovered by one of the greatest art dealers in Paris at the time, Siegfried Bing. Bing became interested in him after seeing many of his paintings at the Paris Salons, as well as his illustrations in Paris newspapers and his posters. Thus in the 1890s de Feure began to abandon painting and printmaking in favour of design and the decorative arts, and as early as the 1894 Salon National des Beaux-Arts he exhibited designs for furniture and ceramics. In fact, it was around this time that he began to be known as a creator of refined and exquisite furniture for the wealthier classes. De Feure soon became one of Bing's most important designers, and Bing encouraged him to extend his talents to all areas of art and design. Although they never signed an exclusive contract, de Feure would work primarily for the art dealer, and