DesignMiami/ Basel 2021
September 20-26, 2021
For the fifteenth edition of DesignMiami/ Basel, GALERIE PATRICK SEGUIN is pleased to exhibit an exceptional set of JEAN ROYÈRE straw marquetry pieces alongside a fine selection of furniture by JEAN PROUVÉ, PIERRE JEANNERET and CHARLOTTE PERRIAND.
A first installation displays a selection of iconic JEAN PROUVÉ pieces: one of the very few example of the demountable Guéridon Cafétéria designed in response to a call for tenders for the school restaurant of the Arts et Métiers university in Paris, a sleek Guéridon bas which used to belong to Marianne Prouvé, Jean Prouvé’s sister, a historical Cité armchair created in 1930 for the new university dormitory in Nancy -the first small-series model to come out of the Ateliers Jean Prouvé- a very rare pair of Visiteur armchairs that reflect Prouvé’s constant quest for improved comfort, stability and lightness, as well as a set of facade panels designed by Jean Prouvé for the Bouqueval school (1949). The diverse standardized and combinable panels conceived by Prouvé were devised in numerous versions, some of which incorporating elements providing comfort such as air vents and portholes as for the pieces presented on the booth.
A beautiful, large wall-mounted CHARLOTTE PERRIAND bookshelves complete the scenery.
“Above all, there should be no utopian designs. Progress can only result from empirical evidence.”
JEAN PROUVÉ
A majestic Library table with light accommodating a set of Type chairs intended by PIERRE JEANNERET for the administrative buildings of the city of Chandigarh will also be on display.
JEAN ROYÈRE approached his metier in spirit of unfettered freedom. His work compelled recognition with the undogmatic modernity of pieces designed for everyday living and its perfect balance between elegance and relaxation. The straw marquetry pieces reflect his approach: the sophisticated technique he uses drawn on eighteenth-century French cabinetmaking but he enlivens the decorative motif by opting for dynamic zigzag lines. Those straw marquetry pieces of the highest refinement were part of a large commission Royère carried out at the request of Mr. and Mrs. Goldenberg in the early 1950s and remained in the family until today.
Royère facetiously plays with the floral motif, that quickly becomes the source of an entire array of organic shapes, simple wavy lines of metal tubing can turn into a light evocative of a luxuriant bouquet as illustrated in the majestic Bouquet ceiling lamp. His multiple travels also inspired him greatly. An elegant Persan console and mirror, with their evocative names, a Baquet armchair in goat skin and an airy Ski standing lamp complement the exceptional marquetry set. A great liberty and playfulness exude from these exquisite pieces that illustrate themes dear to the decorator: the vegetal, the animal and the imaginative realms.