Pair benches in oak by Emilio Terry for Jean-Michel Frank

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Pair benches in oak by Emilio Terry for Jean-Michel Frank

About the Item

Jean-Michel Frank (1895-1941) was one of the most influential and original designers of the 20th century. Beginning in the 1920s, he developed a following among the Parisian cognoscenti for his understated and elegant furnishings and interiors. Typical of his designs was a radical simplification of form, often distilled from historical models, rendered in texturally rich materials such as cerused oak, parchment, straw marquetry, and leather. In 1935 Frank opened an eponymous boutique with partner Adolph Chanaux in Paris that sold works by his design and by a troupe of architect and artist collaborators. . Frank’s clientele was international in scope, including Templeton Crocker in San Francisco and Nelson D. Rockefeller in New York. Influential tastemakers such as Syrie Maughm in England and Francis Elkins in the United States helped to nurture local interest in designs by Frank and his collaborators. In Argentina, Ignacio Pirovano, interior designer and curator at the National Museum of Decorative Arts, proved to be an effective champion of Frank’s work. Wealthy Argentineans, familiar with Frank from visits to Paris, were already prodigious consumers of French furnishings due to the boom pre-war economy. Pirovano founded the firm Comte in 1932 to provide fine interior decor for the local market and began importing Frank models for placement in design projects as well as for retail sale. In 1936, Comte entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Frank to produce his designs locally, and by 1937 the firm had set up a workshop to execute these models, as well as a broader range of period pieces and designs by prominent Argentinean architect Alejandro Bustillo. Frank completed a string of private projects in Argentina starting in the late 1930s, including the vast interiors for the home of Jorge Born and Maria Frías Ayerza Born (completed 1939), the public spaces of the Llao Llao Hotel in Patagonia (1938), Buenos Aires interiors for members of the Acevedo, Santamarina and Murature families (circa 1940), and the Córdoba estate for industrialist Fritz Mandl (1941). These benches were designed by Cuban-born architect Emilio Terry (1890-1969), who collaborated on several commissions with Frank, beginning in 1931 with the Templeton Crocker residence. Terry’s love of neoclassicism in the use of the Greek key pattern and the curved legs derived from Empire furniture. Literature: Gallery BAC, Jean-Michel Frank in Argentina, New York, 2010, pp. 88-89 Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco Period, New York, 2008, p. 341 (for French production of model)

Dimensions:
Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 68 in (172.72 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Place of Origin:
Argentina
Period:
1930-1939
Date of Manufacture:
1937-early 1940s
Condition:
Excellent condition with subtle wear commensurate with age, restored, new upholstery.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: U110818914124