In Situ (Jul 2016)
Francis Jourdain (1876-1958), un précurseur du mobilier contemporain
Abstract
The Musée d'art et d'histoire at Saint-Denis holds an important collection of archives and objects left by Francis Jourdain, an artist of multiple talents and facets. The collection include several hundred designs whihc are representative of his work as a whole:paintings, drawings, preparatory sketches for interior designs and decorative arts, furniture ensembles, ceramic and glass pieces. Jourdain was a painter and a skilled art worker and, following in the footsteps of the Austrian architecte Adolphe Loos, he preached simplicity as a value in its own right. He brought revolutionary change to furniture design with the principle of interchangeable pieces of furniture, and opened a shop where his creations could be purchased or ordered by catalogue. His designs are presented in different parts of the museum: the bedroom of Hélène Henry, a textile designer, and the salon of George Besson, an art critic and collector.
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