Jean Prouvé Grand Repos ‘D80-1’ lounge chair for Tecta

Designer
Jean Prouvé
Manufacturer
Tecta
Period
1980s
Origin
Italy
Material
Leather, Metal
Color
black
Code
05300322ZF
Condition
Good condition consistent with age and use.
Dimensions
64cm (w) x 110cm (d) x 92cm (h) | seath 32cm
Price
Sold, located France
Provenance
See writing below.

Jean Prouvé designed the model ‘grand repos D80-1’ lounge chair between 1928 and 1930. Tecta reproduced the chair in the 1980’s and manufactured the chair in Germany.

A slightly visible, spring mechanism enables the seat position to be adjusted backwards simply by shifting bodyweight. The same mechanism makes it easy to return to regular seated position. This lounge chair decorated with original black leather and chromed metal, te handrests are in very well condition and the neck cushion is adjustable in postion. The wheels at the front of the chair work smoothly.

Jean Prouvé (1901 – 1984) was a French self-taught architect and furniture designer. He applied production technology in architecture, without losing aesthetic qualities. He expressed his design qualities in architectural, industrial, construction and furniture design.

Prouvé grew up in Nancy, where his father worked within the art collective de l’École de Nancy. The collective was founded to produce accessible art. Its aim was to connect art with industry as well as with social awareness.

Prouvé first learned to be a blacksmith and then attended metal workshops. In 1923 he started his own studio in Nancy. He forged lamps, candlesticks and railings, and started designing furniture during this time. In 1929 he was awarded his first patent for a design of sheet steel doors. In 1930 he was one of the founders of the Union des artistes modernes, which carried the slogan: We love logic, balance and purity.

In 1931 he opened the Ateliers Jean Prouvé and started working with architects such as Eugene Beaudoin and Marcel Lods. He also worked with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret on various furniture designs.

Thanks to his involvement in the French resistance, he was appointed mayor of Nancy in the first months since the liberation. He received an order from the Ministry of Reconstruction to mass-produce houses for refugees.

In 1947 he set up the Maxéville factory with 200 employees in the furniture production. Aluminum Française took a majority stake in this company five years later. Furniture continued to be his particular focus throughout his life, focusing not only on a functional and aesthetic end product, but also on its affordability. One of his models that has remained popular for decades is the Fauteuil de Grand Repos, a model that is still in production even at the beginning of the 21st century. The addition D80-1 means the chair was picked up by Tecta and is from the more productive 1980s.

Because Prouvé himself had not studied architecture, he often had to seek collaboration or work as a consultant. Although self-taught, Prouvé nevertheless established himself in the architectural world and became an example for several well-known architects, such as Renzo Piana, Jean Nouvel and Norman Foster. In 1971 he was even appointed jury chairman of the competition of the Centre Georges Pompidou, which caused an international stir because of his uneducated status.

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