This sculptural armchair holds many of the best visual and technical qualities of both the French Art Deco and Modernist movements.

Jourdain became a painter and a pioneer of the Art Nouveau style, earning acclaim as the decorator of the Villa Majorelle in Nancy. Jourdain was vocal about modern art and aesthetics, and he chastised contemporary French design for its ostentatious luxury. His designs were straightforward in construction and less pompous in nature. This model is in line with his views, showing French tradition, while taking advantage of natural materials and clever construction. The front legs immediately stand out, with a carefully sculpted and carved shape that runs up to form part of the arms as well. The rest of the beechwood body is less decorated, leaving the carved legs and back to be the focal points of the design. The seat and backrest are constructed of rush, woven tightly to support the sitter. The top of the back has horizontal, decorative lines carved out to accompany the weaving. The hollow parts of the back give this chair an airy look, despite its solid wood frame.

Adorned with beautifully carved details on well-chosen materials worked by expert craftsmen, this armchair is a beautiful and rare model with a unique style. It comes as no surprise that Francis Jourdain’s creations in this style are represented in the Pompidou Museum in Paris.

SOLD

Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use. Small scratches and marks on the wood.

Dimensions:

24.4 in W x 26.77 in D x 33.46 in H

62 cm W x 68 cm D x 85 cm H

About the designer:

Francis Jourdain was born on 2 November 1876, son of the architect Frantz Jourdain. His father was the founder of the Salon d'Automne collection. He benefited from the relationship of his parents with the era's famous intellectuals (Émile Zola, Alphonse Daudet) and artists (the circle of Alexandre Charpentier). Jourdain said of the society in which he grew up that it was dominated by people who were highly opinionated and quick to take sides.

Jourdain became a painter, and was a pioneer of the Art Nouveau style, in which he was distinguished as a decorator of the Villa Majorelle in Nancy. A stencilled panel by Jourdain with elegant, cleanly silhouetted images was shown at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris. In 1911 Jourdain began to design furniture, following the teachings of Adolf Loos (1847–1933). He opened Les Ateliers Modernes in 1912, a small furniture factory. With his built-in furniture and storage systems he was able to make small areas appear spacious. He owned a furniture shop by 1919, Chez Francis Jourdain. Jourdain was a regular exhibitor from 1913 to 1928 at the Salon d'Automne and the Societé des Artistes Décorateurs, and published many articles on modern art and aesthetics in which he attacked the ostentatious luxury that was typical of contemporary French design. His own designs were simple, with straightforward construction.

He collaborated with Le Corbusier in 1920 in publishing a journal titled L'esprit nouveau, subsidized by the government. It advocated standardization and industrial production as an alternative to individual design, required to rebuild the shattered French society and economy of the years following World War I. Jourdain was a prolific writer on art in the period after World War II (1939–45). At the end of his life, Jourdain acted as president of the Secours populaire français. He died in Paris on 31 December 1958 at the age of 82. ~H.