Véronique Lorelle
In December, come and explore five Parisian galleries to discover Ron Arad’s homage to Jean Prouvé, the work of post-war French designers and exquisite Japanese wickerwork.
From metal to bamboo, from the pared-down furniture of the “young wolves” of the 1950s to the new bronze sculptural creations of the designer of the liturgical furniture for Notre-Dame de Paris, here is a closer look at four Parisian galleries and their new exhibitions.
Victoria Wilmotte’s hymn to the sphere
Not far from the Musée du Luxembourg, this is a great opportunity to discover a new design gallery opened by 39-year-old Victoria Wilmotte on rue Madame, in the 6th arrondissement, unveiling her latest collection, “Concav,” in powder-painted steel and lime-colored glass. A graphic line in homage to the sphere, it inscribes itself into the legs of small or low tables, pedestal tables and stools, or draws the curves of an XL mirror. This artisan designer produced her pieces just a stone’s throw away, in her workshop on the Quai des Célestins, on the city’s right bank, where she cuts and assembles steel, her material of choice, herself, and now asserts herself as a daring self-publisher.
‘Concav’ collection, until December 19 at Espace Victoria-Wilmotte, 38, rue Madame, Paris’ 6th arrondissement.
Jean Prouvé and Ron Arad, metal or nothing
It all began with a drawing and photo of a mysterious chair by Jean Prouvé (1901-1984), dating from 1924, of which no real trace has been found. London-based Israeli designer Ron Arad, who shares the French “metal twister’s” love of metal, has paid homage to him by imagining the object’s definitive form 100 years later. He has resurrected the seat, humorously inscribing the back with a laser-cut aluminum plate on a red leather background: “No one, except perhaps Prouvé, has ever seen the back of this 1924 chair. Ron Arad 2023.” An opportunity to revisit some of each designer’s masterpieces. For example, Jean Prouvé’s “Conakry” sunshade (1957) and Ron Arad’s “This Mortal Coil” bookcase (1993), which, displayed side by side in the gallery, reveal their unique approaches to metal, one pragmatic, the other sculptural.
The young wolves of French design
A lamp by Pierre Guariche or wall sconces by Robert Mathieu in perforated metal, a rosewood chest of drawers by Joseph-André Motte or a soft sofa by Michel Mortier, the exhibition at Galerie Pascal Cuisinier showcases the “young wolves,” the first French designers who, mostly born between 1925 and 1930, set out after the war to furnish the French in a style that was simple, elegant and accessible to the widest possible public. They constantly introduced technical innovations to facilitate the mass production of their designs. Long overshadowed by their elders in the modernist movement, such as Jean Prouvé, Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, they are here in a double spotlight, as the exhibition is accompanied by the publication of a book co-published by Flammarion and Editions Pascal Cuisinier. The product of the gallerist’s research, it presents a more comprehensive overview of some 500 models of furniture and lighting from this period.
