Jean Prouvé (1901-1984)

Banquette lit de repos, model Scal n°450 circa 1955 Black-lacquered metal frame resting on four cylindrical legs, thermoformed foam mattress upholstered in black fabric, topped with cylindrical bolster H. 36 cm W. 81 cm D. 190 cm Bibliography: > Peter Sulzer, Jean Prouvé, Œuvre complète/, Complete Works, volume 3: 1944-1954, Birkhauser, 2005, p. 166 > Galerie Patrick Seguin Paris & Sonnanbend, Jean Prouvé, Gallery New York, p. 355 Architect, engineer, builder and designer, Jean Prouvé is an emblematic figure of twentieth-century Modernism. He started out as a wrought-iron worker, and always retained his love of metalwork. Taking part in the Union des Artistes Modernes alongside Charlotte Perriand, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Le Corbusier and René Herbst, Prouvé contributed to the "dusting off" of the Decorative Arts. His guiding principle was the constructive principle: "There is no difference between building a house and building a piece of furniture". His designs are functional, practical and elegant. (MLD)