Jean Prouvé

Determined to be a man of his time, Jean Prouvé explored how recent technological advances could offer new solutions for design and fabrication during the modernist period.

During the war, when demand for steel made it prohibitively expensive, he worked with moulded plywood and lacquered woods to produce highly functional yet economical pieces, including the Standard chair, one of his most iconic designs.

Later in his career, in the postwar era, when metal became more readily available, he focused on metalworking, finding more efficient uses of materials, such as the widespread use of bent sheet steel, and pioneering metal joinery.

These approaches were designed to support France’s rebuilding efforts, allowing for flexibility, durability and quick assembly. These components were widely used in Prouve’s early furniture, architectural components and demountable structures.

In 1954, Prouvé won a competition to furnish the Cité Universitaire Jean Zay in Antony, France. The pieces he designed for this would go onto be some of the most iconic in mid-century design. He adapted some of his existing designs to be both more economical and durable, and introduced some new pieces - such as the Antony armchair, likely one of the most recognizable mid-century designs.

Prouvé is one of the most iconic designers of the modernist era because not just because of his fascination with innovation, but also because he represents the attitudes of the time so clearly - an utmost focus on the functionality of an object and an economic means of its production.

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