French architect, sculptor and designer André Arbus was destined to become one of the 20th century’s finest furniture makers. According to him, the craft was in his blood. “I come from an old family of cabinetmakers,” he once said. “From father to son for a very long time. In other words, I was born in a cabinet-making workshop.”
Born in Toulouse in 1903, Arbus spent his childhood working in his father’s business which sold reproductions of 18th century French furniture. He later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse under sculptor Henry Parayre.
After graduating, Arbus returned to work with his father as the business’s artistic director. When his father retired, Arbus transformed the company from selling furniture reproductions to one that produced his own formidable designs, including cocktail tables, sofa tables and floor lamps that merged neoclassicism with Art Deco and featured alluring modernist characteristics.
In 1925, Arbus exhibited at several shows, including the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, Salon d’Automne, the Gallery L’Epoque and won a medal at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, which brought the Art Deco style to the global stage.
Arbus moved to Paris in 1932, won the prestigious Premier Prix Blumenthal in 1934 and opened his own gallery in 1935. His sconces, chandeliers and dining room tables attracted a steady clientele of some of Paris’s wealthiest. Arbus exhibited at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York and, throughout the 1940s, received numerous notable commissions. The French government gave many of his pieces as gifts to visiting foreign heads of state. He furnished several luxury ocean liners, collaborated with Maison Veronese on a line of lighting fixtures and was tasked to build a jewel cabinet for Princess Elizabeth.
In 1946, Arbus participated in the refurbishment of the Élysée Palace and the Château de Rambouillet with fellow French architects and designers Louis Süe and Jean-Charles Moreux.
Arbus focused on sculpture throughout the 1950s until he died in 1969, drawing inspiration from eminent sculptors such as Vadim Androusov and Sylva Bernt. Today, Arbus’s works can be found in museums around the world.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage André Arbus lighting, tables and seating.
André Arbus pair of celadon green benches off white velvet 1934
By André Arbus
Located in Paris, IDF
Pair of benches designed by André Arbus in 1934. This ensemble exemplifies the refined and elegant Neoclassical vocabulary developed by the designer throughout the 1930s. The pieces ...
Velvet, Wood
Female Figure in Bronze André Arbus - 1940
By André Arbus
Located in NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FR
André Arbus (1903–1969) Female Figure in Bronze André Arbus Monogrammed "AA" twice Circa 1940 H. 24 cm (20 cm excluding base) About André Arbus Born in Toulouse in 1903 into a famil...
Bronze
$1,535 / set
Pair of Andre Arbus Sconces
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Superb pair of Andre Arbus sconces. Three lights, 60 watts max per light. US rewired and in working condition. See the set of eight matching sconces...
Bronze
André Arbus, table rectangulaire pivotante en chêne cérusé.
By André Arbus
Located in Mouscron, WHT
André Arbus, table rectangulaire pivotante en chêne cérusé. Mobilier créé par André Arbus pour la Chambre de commerce et d'industrie du Loiret (Pays de la Loire) dans les années 1950...
Oak
3 Pairs Available of Arbus Pair of Sconces, Priced by Pair
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
3 pairs of red burgundy lacquered French sconces by Andre Arbus. US wired and in working condition, 60 watts max per light Priced by pair.
Iron
André Arbus, Pair of Mahogany Armchairs with Caned Back and Seat, circa 1950
By André Arbus
Located in NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FR
A pair of mahogany armchairs by André Arbus (1903–1969), executed circa 1950. The winged flat armrests, sheath and sabre legs, and caned back and seat place these pieces within the n...
Wood, Mahogany
Pair of Large by Andre Arbus (1903-1969) & Veronese, 1950s
By André Arbus
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Pair of crystal 'feather' wall lamps by André Arbus & Veronese, hand made with brass glass holders. The glass work is incrediblky detailed and on top of that emits a nice warm ...
Crystal, Brass
French Art Deco Mahogany Secretary Cabinet by André Arbus and Vadim Androusssov
By André Arbus
Located in Montreal, QC
Frenh Art Deco period mahogany cabinet secretary by André Arbus and Vadim Androussov decorated with a bronze patinated bronze cartouche of a female figure. France: circa 1940 Provena...
Mahogany
1950's Murano glass floor lamp By André Arbus for Veronèse
By André Arbus
Located in Bois-Colombes, FR
1950's Murano glass floor lamp by André Arbus for Veronèse No shade included Dimensions given without shade Newly re-wired
Murano Glass
$23,920Sale Price / set|20% Off
Sycamore Armchairs by André Arbus, Art Deco Fabric, France, 1950
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of Sycamore Armchairs by French Designer André Arbus upholstered in an Art Deco pattern fabric. Documented in the Andre Arbus book. Made in Franc...
Silk, Sycamore
"Pantalionnière" Chest of Drawers, André Arbus (1903-1969)
By André Arbus
Located in Paris, FR
André Arbus (1903–1969), French cabinetmaker and decorator, is renowned for his refined neoclassical style that blends elegance and tradition. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts and...
Oak, Bone
$3,950 / set
Andre Arbus Pair of Sconces
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Superb pair of three arms bronze sconces by Andre Arbus. US rewired and in working condition. Three lights, 60 watts max per bulb.
Brass
French Drawing in Pen and Gouache by André Arbus, Paris, 1938
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Gouache and pen work by André Arbus (1903-1969). Signed Andre Arbus. Origin: Drawing of dining table by Andre Arbus for the apartment of Mme Pedersen, Paris, 1938. Literature:...