Visu­al Arts

Pierre Chareau: Mod­ern Archi­tec­ture and Design

Esther da Cos­ta Meyer
  • From the Publisher
January 2, 2018

The design­er and archi­tect Pierre Chareau (1883 – 1950) was a piv­otal fig­ure in mod­ernism. His extra­or­di­nary Art Deco fur­ni­ture is avid­ly col­lect­ed and his vision­ary glass house, the Mai­son de Verre, is cel­e­brat­ed, but the breadth of his design genius has been lit­tle explored. Chareau linked archi­tec­ture, fine arts, and style; designed fur­ni­ture for avant-garde films and chic homes; col­lect­ed artists such as Picas­so and Mon­dri­an; and was a rad­i­cal inno­va­tor in the use of mate­ri­als. Essays by lead­ing schol­ars embrace the full scope of his inven­tion, offer­ing detailed analy­ses of indi­vid­ual projects, the inter­dis­ci­pli­nary nature of his work, his Jew­ish back­ground, his place in the avant-garde of Paris between the wars, and his more recent recep­tion. Exten­sive illus­tra­tions present a rich sam­pling of Chareau’s fur­ni­ture, archi­tec­ture, inte­ri­ors, fab­rics, and wall­pa­pers, as well as his own impor­tant art collection.

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