Jean Prouvé & Jean Royère:
Two exceptional sets at auction
 

On Monday, the 23^rd of May, the Art Deco / Design department will present two sets of exceptional furniture coming from prestigious commissions: Jean Prouvé for Pierre Bindschedler and Jean Royère for a private collection. This sale will reveal a very important, multifunctional and double-sided sideboard by Jean Prouvé and three of the most significant pieces of Jean Royère's furniture repertoire.

Jean Prouvé for Pierre Bindschedler, the private residence
Bindschedler is a familiar and recurring name in the world of Jean Prouvé. A long-standing friendship developed between the two men as they were both resistance fighters during the Second World War and later involved in the post-war reconstruction projects in Sarre. From 1946, Jean Prouvé and his brother Henri Prouvé, an architect, worked on a series of major commissions for the Ferembal factory.

In 1950, Pierre Bindschedler commissioned the two brothers to design his second home in Brittany. They saw this as a single, all-encompassing project, designed around the family’s needs. Included with more standard items of furniture were custom-made pieces, such as the double-sided, multifunctional sideboard. One side can be used for ‘work’, incorporating bookshelves and a desk. The other side is a large storage area with sliding doors, against which a bench can be positioned, with the doors acting as a backrest. This centrepiece of the house is estimated at €200 000 – 300 000.

Light was a clear priority for the architect Henri Prouvé, who favoured large-scale panoramic windows. The benches, spanning the entire width of these windows, were designed with metal legs and lacquered in different colours for different rooms. They were decorated with Villeroy & Boch black ceramic tiles, a unifying feature of each room that created a common theme throughout the house. Artcurial will present 5 benches estimated between €6 000 - 8 000 and €8 000 - 10 000.

As with the Dollander family’s villa in Le Lavandou, this commission allows the Bindschedler name, confidential until now, to join the pantheon of Jean Prouvé’s major patrons. United by the exceptional standard this set also displays.

Jean Royère: three design icons from an original private collection
Known as one of the most talented decorators of his generation, Jean Royère created some of the most emblematic furniture and lighting of the post-war period throughout his career. The sale will feature three of the most significant pieces in the famous decorator's repertoire, which embody the maturity of his style.

The Polar Bear Sofa, estimated at €250,000 - 300,000 is undoubtedly his most original model, indeed the most iconic in the history of post-war design. Created in 1947, its lack of apparent skeleton and its organic aspect are innovative for the time and closely related to the biomorphism of Hans Arp’s sculptures. The Elephanteau Chair, estimated €80,000 – 100,000 is rare on the market and is also in the register of free forms of Jean Royère. This idea would be used for the design of the Flaque table created in 1947 to complement the Ours polaire sofa. In brown straw marquetry with a star decoration this table was presented at the Salon des arts ménagers in 1954. This piece is estimated €80,000 – 100,000.

The commissioners of this set, Denise and Rene Lucas, were not mistaken in their choice when they moved in the 1950s into this large apartment on 12 boulevard Jean Mermoz in Neuilly-sur-Seine and called upon the Jean Royère, then at the maturity of his style, to decorate their flat.

Information
Auction
Art Deco / Design
Monday, 23^rd of May 2022 – 6pm

Exhibition
20 & 21 of May, from 11am to 8pm
23 of May, from 11am to 5pm

Contact
Sabrina Dolla
Tél. +33 1 42 99 16 40