Focus on Jean Prouvé’s bench no. 356, ca. 1956

JEAN PROUVÉ
Bench no. 356, ca. 1956
Cité universitaire Jean-Zay,
Antony, France

The bench no. 356, designed by JEAN PROUVÉ around 1956, was intended for the communal areas of the Cité universitaire Jean-Zay in Antony (Paris area).

Built in 1954 by architect Eugène Beaudouin, the university student residence in Antony was seen as a model: just as a city, the university accommodation complex included, besides lodgings, three swimming pools, two restaurants, three lecture halls, a theatre, a library, a nursery school, two day nurseries, an infirmary, a social care center, and shops.

This cushioned bench, fully original, features a metal frame based on the leg’s principle of the fauteuil léger no. 356. Made of a large-diameter tubular brace to which are welded tubular legs and sheet-metal support brackets, it ensures both stability and lightness.

Similar to the fauteuil léger no. 356, designed as part of the furniture program for student rooms, the bench no. 356 was specifically developed to furnish the communal areas of the Cité universitaire in Antony. Particularly noted for its comfort, it was produced in versions that seat between 3 and 9 people.

In addition to furnishing the communal areas, Jean Prouvé was also commissioned to design the furniture for the restaurants and 148 individual rooms in the university student residence, which was inaugurated on December 1, 1955.

l’architecture d’aujourd’hui, juillet 1956

Focus on Jean Prouvé’s Tropique no. 351 armchair

JEAN PROUVÉ
Tropique no. 351 armchair, 1951
Air France building, Brazzaville,
Republic of Congo

Designed by JEAN PROUVÉ in 1951, the Tropique no. 351 armchair was made for Air France in Brazzaville.

In a post-war context of change and reconstruction, Air France began its conquest of air transport and in 1951 the Paris–Brazzaville route was inaugurated. With modernity as its keyword, the company called upon Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand to design the interiors of its residence in Brazzaville – famously known as the “red building” – intended to accommodate the airline’s staff.

From this particular order emerged a series of iconic pieces, among them the Tropique no. 351 armchair.

Extremely modern, this armchair features a structure made of steel and aluminum tubing, covered with cotton canvas. Its seat, reinforced by a bent tube frame, is supported by crutches attached to the rear brace. This armchair, characterized by its curved and clean lines, also features wooden armrests. Produced from 1951 the Tropique no. 351 armchair appeared in the Steph Simon gallery catalog until 1956.