In Situ ()
Pierre Guariche, architecte d’intérieur : la préfecture de l’Essonne ou la modernisation d’une institution de la Ve République
Abstract
In 1946, after the Second World War, the general State planning commission (le commissariat général du plan, CGP) was created by General de Gaulle to manage economic and social planning and projects for the urban development of the country. This policy favoured rental accommodation for the social sector, resulting in the massive construction of huge social housing complexes in the form of bars or tower blocks. In this context, Pierre Guariche, an interior designer, became involved in the realisation of major public projects of interior design. With these large scale urban projects, the State provided this designer with many opportunities, the planning policies of the Fifth Republic constituting a favourable economic situation for Pierre Guariche, who was able to orient his work towards new architectural projects of economic prosperity, such as prefectures. In the mid-1960s, André Malraux, minister for the arts, commissioned the architect Guy Lagneau to design the prefecture of the Essonne department. On the architect’s suggestion, Pierre Guariche with his collaborator Alain Marcot, handled the interior fitting-out. They were faced with an original architectural challenge, which they responded to by creating different zones and working on their flexibility. With these spatial principles, they designed modern areas which reflected the authority of the State. This project was part of the ‘1 % artistic’ programme, with a legal obligation of giving public constructions decorative elements. In his interior fitting-out Pierre Guariche marked the prefecture with signs of the State’s decentralization policies. It also became a showcase for the power of the State as a patron of arts, thanks largely to two original programmes initiated by the workshop of research and creation (ARC). This workshop created original designs especially for major public administrations, helping maintain the arts of furnishing and the decorative arts. This national support also offered an opportunity to explore new technologies and new materials. The thirty-year boom after the Second World War, with all its public institutions to modernise, offered Guariche the opportunity to fit out areas frequented by the general public, promotional showcases for culture of the Fifth Republic. Thus, the prefecture of Essonne represented for Pierre Guariche an opportunity to collaborate on an original programme for his agency, and also to benefit from the workshop of research and creation (ARC) of the Mobilier national. Art enabled him to remove the sacred aura of this State institution which henceforth had to be open to all French citizens and to improving their living conditions.
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