Jean Michel Frank 'Elephant' Chairs by Comte

View Similar Items

French Cerused Lounge Chairs style of Jean Michel Frank

Pair Chairs in the Style of Jean Michel Frank, circa 1930s

Large Scale Jean Michel Frank Style Upholstered Armchair and Ottoman circa 1950

Jean-Michel Frank Attributed Armchair

Jean-Michel Frank Style Leather Armchair

Frank Lloyd Wright Lounge Chair

Customizable Tacchini Elephant Leather Lounge Chair by Karen Chekerdijan

Adjustable Deck Chair by Jean-Pierre Hagnauer

Customizable Tacchini Elephant Lounge Chair & Ottoman by Karen Chekerdijan

Jean-Michel Frank Style, Mid-Century Modern, Arm Chairs, Distressed Leather

White Leather Marsala Chair by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, France 1970s

Orchidee Lounge Chairs by Michel Cadestin for Airborne with Ottoman France, 1968

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 15

Jean Michel Frank 'Elephant' Chairs by Comte

About the Item

Jean Michel Frank attributed, by Comte, Bariloche, elephant chairs, 1939 The present chairs were produced by Comte, the Argentinean furniture maker and retailer, after an earlier model by French designer Jean-Michel Frank. Comte was established in Buenos Aires in 1932 by Ignacio Pirovano, the future director of the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo. An aesthete and an interior designer, Pirovano met and befriended Frank in the early 1930s during an extended stay in Paris with his wife, Lía Elena de Elizade. She later recalled in La Nacional: "We had acquired an apartment and needed furniture. Jean-Michel lent us a coiffeuse and a table … Thus was born our friendship." (Gallery Bac and James Buresh, Jean-Michel Frank in Argentina, New York, 2010, p. 13). As Buresh has noted, Comte functioned in several ways: the firm imported European furniture, including French-made works by Frank; it produced its own designs; and it subcontracted orders to outside cabinetmakers. In 1936, Pirovano signed an exclusive agreement to produce Frank’s designs in Argentina, which the firm continued to do after the latter’s death in 1941. As Buresh has also noted, Frank did not arrive in Argentina until 1940 (his first and only visit) and departed in January 1941 for New York. Although he lived in Argentina briefly (in an apartment above the Comte showroom), Frank exerted a strong influence there long before and after his stay. Working in Paris, New York and Argentina, Jean-Michel Frank designed subtle, exquisitely proportioned furniture and lighting for sophisticated interiors. His elite roster of patrons included the vicomte Charles de Noailles, the businessman and politician Nelson A. Rockefeller, the couturier Elsa Schiaparelli and the perfumer Guerlain, among many others. Against the backdrop of the interwar period, Frank designed calm, subdued interiors that offered refuge from the chaotic world. His furniture, which was often clad in vellum, bleached leather or shagreen, featured clean lines and served to complement the art collections of his clients, which included works by Picasso, Léger and Matisse.

Creator:
Comte S.A. (Manufacturer)
Attributed to:
(after) Jean Michel Frank (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 28.35 in (72 cm)Width: 34.26 in (87 cm)Depth: 41.54 in (105.5 cm)Seat Height: 13.78 in (35 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Leather,Oak,Veneer
Place of Origin:
Argentina
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1960s
Condition:
Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Antwerp, BE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU933421160652