Chest of drawers from the BOIS BLANC series by René Gabriel

About the Item

René Gabriel (1899 - 1950) is a precursor of French industrial design. He was one of the first to create, as early as the 1930s, economical mass-produced furniture combining aestheticism, robustness and sobriety, a source of inspiration for a whole generation of future designers. A student at the Germain Pilon School and then at the National School of Decorative Arts, René Gabriel began as a domino maker by designing and producing his own wallpapers, and then made his mark as a decorative artist in most of the salons and international exhibitions of the inter-war period. In 1927, he began his research into the creation of mass-produced furniture and proposed a piece of furniture composed of juxtaposable and superposable elements. He studied an economical version that he presented in 1934 at the Salon des arts ménagers under the name of RG elements. Another major turning point came in 1944, when the Ministry of Reconstruction and Urban Planning commissioned him to create emergency furniture. A fervent advocate of furniture for all, René Gabriel designed numerous models for disaster victims by establishing close ties with industry. He also collaborated with Auguste Perret for the reconstruction of Le Havre. His reputation in mass production is growing. In 1945, he was appointed president of the Société des artistes décorateurs. Several years of teaching at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs followed, during which he trained some of the great names in French design, including Alain Richard, André Monpoix, Joseph-André Motte and Pierre Guariche. In 1950, as a tribute to his major role in the history of design, the main actors of the Salon des arts ménagers created the famous René Gabriel Prize which rewarded every year for several decades the creators of innovative models in a qualitative and economic range. Gabriel's only concern was to offer modern furniture at affordable prices. To this end, he used white woods and published the results of his early work in the August-September 1936 issue of "Décor d'aujourd'hui". Forgoing solid or rare woods, he selected the least expensive species, but gave them consistency by veneering, for example, poplar panels on either side of a wide beech frame to create an apparent thickness of section and a reassuring volume for his customers.

Creator:

Rene Gabriel (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 32.29 in (82 cm)Width: 29.93 in (76 cm)Depth: 16.54 in (42 cm)

Style:

Modern (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Beech,Poplar

Place of Origin:

France

Period:

1930-1939