In 1945, he built his factory in Maxéville and remained there until 1954. From then on, he continued his activity as a consulting engineer for the realization of large contemporary architectural projects. Considering "that there is no difference between the construction of a piece of furniture and a house", Jean Prouvé develops a "constructive thought" based on a logic of manufacture and functionality that generates an aesthetic purified of all artifice, thus joining the doctrine of the Union of Modern Artists of which he is a founding member alongside Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand.
Thus, the same principles apply to the production of furniture, often intended for collective equipment, and to architecture, which undergoes a significant development after the war: the same solid structures are assembled and articulated by clever mechanisms, allowing furniture as well as buildings to be easily disassembled, moved, adapted.
In addition to school furniture, Jean Prouvé designed offices, chairs, tables, shelves, bookcases and sideboards, all of which were based on the same manufacturing principle: from a sketch, a prototype was made to assess the details through a very strict study.
His furniture will be widely distributed by the Steph Simon Gallery from 1956. Jean Prouvé contributed to post-war reconstruction and urban planning; a true entrepreneur, he broke with the traditions of construction by favoring experience over profitability. This avant-garde spirit, coupled with humanist concerns, is still relevant today: we are constantly rediscovering the innovative qualities of each episode of Jean Prouvé's work, from the first equipment for the Nancy university campus in 1932 to that created for the Antony campus in 1954, including the furniture created for Africa, or the dismantled houses of the post-war period, right up to the "small architectural machines" designed in the 1960s.
Jean Prouvé collaborated with the greatest architects, and famous buildings of the 20th century architecture bear his imprint, most of which are now protected as historical monuments.
Jean Prouvé
Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) was one of the pioneers of innovative furniture and architecture production in the 20th century.
Anxious to be part of his era, he explored all the technical resources of metal and quickly moved from working with wrought iron to constructive applications of folded sheet metal. He was imbued with the creative philosophy of the Ecole de Nancy, whose main aim was to combine art with industry to make it accessible to all. Metal carpentry, the first pieces of furniture, architectural elements and dismountable buildings were produced in small series from the 1930s onwards.
Although Jean Prouvé began by making entrance gates, stair railings, guardrails and skylights, he began designing his first furniture in 1924. Having discovered electric welding and applied various shaping techniques, he turned to sheet steel, a material that allowed him to obtain a "hollow body" adding its strength to that of the frame: the articulated seat chair of 1929 is a typical example. The use of this metal is found in most of the furniture that mark his career; Jean Prouvé will also frequently use aluminum (both in the field of housing and interior design) he will use in the form of folded sheet or molded parts.
Source : Galerie Patrick Seguin
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