‎‎This beautiful woven rattan chair combines Janine Abraham’s imagination with Dirk Jan Rol’s architectural construction skills.

From the circular woven center to the shell of the seat, the craft of the designer and manufacturer is outstanding. The basket seat is supported by a black lacquered metal frame. The geometric frame and legs show Rol’s background in architecture and add modernity to the organic material of the seat. This chair is equally eye-catching from up close and from a distance.

This mid-century model exemplifies why Abraham and Rol became successful, which was primarily thanks to their rattan and metal furniture. In 1958, the designer couple’s metal and rattan furniture won the second prize at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs and their "Soleil" armchair the gold medal at the World Exhibition in Brussels.

SOLD

Condition:

In good vintage condition. Wear consistent with its age and use. Rattan overall has a beautiful patina. Some rattan varnish has come off, some discoloration. Two strings have possible been repaired in the past.

Dimensions:

33.86 in W x 36.22 in D x 30.31 in H; seat height 14.96 in

86 cm W x 92 cm D x 77 cm H; seat height 38 cm

About the designer:

Janine Abraham (1929-2005) was a French designer. She trained at the École Camondo in Paris until 1952. Following her graduation, she became a pupil of Maxime Old and René-Jean Caillette. Dirk Jan Rol acquired training as a cabinetmaker in the Netherlands, his country of origin, then as an interior designer at the National School of Decorative Arts. They both worked in different workshops of architects and decorators after their studies.

In 1955, the two designers met at the studio of Jacques Dumond. The following year, in 1956, the pair showed their first collaborative work at the Salon des Artistes Decorateurs. The same year, the duo designed a range of rattan seats for the publisher Rougier.

Abraham and Rol launched their own agency in 1957, creating modernist furniture characterized by clean, elegant lines - notably the rattan and enamelled metal Lemon chair (1957), and the steel and black vinyl Sofa Bed (1962).

Their work is marked by a high quality of design, relevance in the choice of materials and the originality of their formal inventions. It is a beautiful synthesis of their two personalities, between the flexibility of Janine's rattan furniture and the architectural rigor of Dirk Jan. While little else is known about the duo, Rol went on to focus on architecture, creating sculptural structures that combined and celebrated nature and interiors.

During their collaboration, they were awarded with numerous prizes, including the silver medal at the Milan Triennale in 1957 for a folded aluminium fireside chair - which now appears in the collections of the Center Georges Pompidou - and the gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Brussels in 1958 for their rattan “Soleil” armchair. ~H.