Mathieu Mategot Vintage Very Rare and Documented Pair of "Rigitule" Black Chairs
View Similar Items
Mathieu Mategot Vintage Very Rare and Documented Pair of "Rigitule" Black Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Mathieu Matégot (Author)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s-1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Trace of scratches and fading on painting consistent with age.
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8929846399
Mathieu Matégot
With their curvaceous metal surfaces and shapes often resembling sheets of folded paper, Mathieu Matégot's inspiring furniture and lighting designs are easily recognizable and highly sought after by collectors. By working with perforated sheet metal and metal tubing, the Hungarian-born French architect, artist and designer — who is known by aficionados for his “rigitulle” technique — created tables, chairs and decorative objects that are celebrated works of French modernism and make a statement in any interior.
Matégot attended the Budapest School of Fine Arts and Architecture. He graduated in 1929 and traveled before settling in Paris in 1931, where he worked as a window dresser for department stores and as a set designer for cabaret halls.
In 1939, Matégot joined the French army in resistance to invading Nazi forces. He was soon captured and sent to work in a German factory. It was at this factory where Matégot became familiar with the materials and techniques that would inform and inspire his trademark rigitulle method.
After the war ended, Matégot opened a workshop in Paris and began to create handcrafted furniture that didn't conform to established styles of the time. Matégot explored merging traditional and non-traditional materials — he worked with formica, glass and natural materials such as rattan — and engaged in other forward-looking experiments. Matégot soon patented his career-defining rigitulle technique and material, which saw the designer working with metal tubing and perforated metal sheets and producing thin, airy folds into the metal as if he were manipulating fabric or paper.
Many of Matégot’s designs for table lamps, pendants, tables and more are reflective of the rigitulle technique, but the best-known work that exemplifies this process is his elegant three-legged Nagasaki chair, which he exhibited in 1954 at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs. The original Nagasaki chair gave way to a collection that included a stool and an armchair. Matégot’s Nagasaki dining chair has been reissued by Gubi and is part of the permanent collection at the Vitra Design Museum, which is home to one of the world’s most important furniture collections.
Matégot created a range of smaller items for the home — serveware, side tables and magazine racks, each distinctive in their fluid and organic forms — but halted his career in design and moved to Angers in the early 1960s in order to turn to creating art. Today he is known for his abstract tapestries as well as his furnishings.
Find vintage Mathieu Matégot furniture on 1stDibs.
- Mathieu Mategot, Nagasaki chair in black and yellowBy Mathieu Matégot, GubiLocated in Bruxelles, BEThe Nagasaki Chair is designed in 1954 and is still Mathieu Matégot’s best-known piece. It was exhibited for the first time at the 1954 Salon des Artistes Décorateurs and, along with...Category
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
$1,040 / item - Pair of Vintage Black and White Chiavarine Chairs in the Style of Parisi, ItalyBy Ico ParisiLocated in Bresso, LombardyMade in Italy, 1950s. These chairs feature a solid ebonized beech frame, brass details and white velvet upholstery. They are vintage, therefore they might show slight traces of use, ...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBrass
$1,665 Sale Price / set30% Off - Pair of Vintage Solid Durmast and Rattan Chairs, ItalyLocated in Bresso, LombardyMade in Italy, 1940s. These high-quality chairs are made in solid durmast and rattan and feature an interesting detail: the final part of the backrest is a pyramidal section. They a...Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsRattan, Wood
$832 Sale Price / set20% Off - Vintage Set of Four Attributed to Mathieu Matégot Dining Chairs, France, 1950sBy Mathieu Matégot, Mathieu MatégotLocated in Brooklyn, NYStriking set of four vintage dining chairs attributed to Mathieu Matégot in his trademark perforated and lacquered sheet steel. Wonderful lightness to these, masterful use of steel e...Category
Vintage 1950s French Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$2,399 Sale Price / set33% Off - Very Rare Wegner Side Chair in Originally Red Painted Wood, circa 1930By Hans J. WegnerLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis chair is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beac...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsWood
- 1973, Pierre Paulin for Boro Belgium, Very Rare Organic 8810 Flower ChairBy Pierre Paulin, BORO BelgiumLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach...Category
Vintage 1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsPlastic