Est. 2017

Pierre Chareau

Furniture design, architecture, interior decoration, lighting — pioneer of structural furniture and kinetic architecture

"To better satisfy the demands of our reason and our refined, evolving sentiments, merged in the admirable beauty of living."

About

A furniture designer, decorator, and architect, Pierre Chareau created a distinctive and concentrated body of work, marked by strength and rare tension, in less than ten years, from 1925 to 1932.

Born on August 4, 1883, in Bordeaux, Chareau displayed an artistic sensibility for music, painting, and drawing. In 1900, he moved to Paris, where he unsuccessfully attempted the entrance exam for the École des Beaux-Arts and, in 1903, joined Waring and Gillow, where he trained as a draftsman. He also taught himself architecture. In July 1904, he married an Englishwoman, Louise Dyte, known as "Dollie." Through her, he secured his first commission in 1919: the renovation of the Parisian apartment of Annie Bernheim and Dr. Jean Dalsace, who would become close friends. This original and minimalist interior earned him recognition at the Salon d'Automne.

His renown grew further in 1924 with his set design for Marcel L'Herbier's film L'Inhumaine. His shop at 3 Rue du Cherche-Midi became a showcase for his creations as well as those of artist friends such as Hélène Henry, Jean Lurçat, Jean Burkhalter, Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Masson, and Max Ernst.

For his furniture, Chareau relied on the expertise of high-quality craftsmen, beginning a collaboration with ironworker Dalbet in 1924. He excelled at contrasting materials, inventing intricate details, and analyzing functionality. Starting in 1927, Chareau developed so-called "structural" furniture for his interiors, including fan partitions, movable walls, a kind of variable geometry that introduced a kinetic aspect into architecture. His lamps, like his furniture, reflected a minimalist yet sculptural aesthetic.

His masterpiece, created in collaboration with Bernard Bijvoët, is the Maison de Verre (1928–1931) on Rue Saint-Guillaume in Paris, built for Dr. Dalsace and his wife — a house of exemplary modernity and ingenuity. Facing economic recession, Chareau moved to the United States in 1940. His most important American project was the studio-home of painter Robert Motherwell in East Hampton, Long Island (1947). Pierre Chareau passed away in the summer of 1950.