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.
Andre Arbus Style Art Deco 1940s 4 Light Chandelier Bronze Brass Metal Arrow
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Superb Andre Arbus style 4-light chandelier Art Deco Period circa 1940. Two patinas in brass and gun metal. US rewired and in working condition 4 bulbs, 75 watts max each. Sold with ...
Brass, Bronze
André Arbus, Chandelier, 1940
By André Arbus
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
André Arbus 1940 Measures: 63 x 50 x 50 cms chandelier lacquered metal, brass, copper 950 Euros.
Metal
André Arbus, 1940 Ceiling Light, Veronese Editions
By André Arbus
Located in Mouscron, WHT
André Arbus, 1940 ceiling light, Veronese editions, Circa 1930-1940. Murano glass and crystal.
Crystal
$3,450 / set
H 13 in W 4 in D 6 in
Andre Arbus Pair of Bronze Sconces , 4 Pairs Available, Priced by Pair
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of French sconces figuring hands holding a torche André Arbus style. Coming from an hotel in Paris 4 pairs available, Priced by pair. US rewired and in working condition. One li...
Brass
Pair of Andre Arbus Sconces, 2 Pairs Available, Priced by Pair
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Superb pair of sconces in the style of Andre Arbus figuring a nickel-plated hand with a opaline shade fitted with brass stars. Measure: back plate: 3.5 inches diameter.
Brass, Nickel
Art Deco White Albaster Chandelier, 1940s
Located in Roma, IT
Antique alabaster hanging lamp in Art Deco style, circa 1940s. A single piece of alabaster, beautifully worked with shades and reflections of other colours when lit, suspended from t...
Alabaster
Art Deco 4-Arm Chandelier in Glass & Brass, Sweden, 1940s
By Paavo Tynell
Located in Odense, DK
This exquisite 4-arm chandelier embodies the elegance and craftsmanship of 1940s Swedish Art Deco design. Featuring softly curved arms in finely aged brass, each supports a delicatel...
Brass
$8,400 / set
H 22.84 in W 4.73 in D 4.73 in
French 1940s Pair of Parchment Table Lamps, Andre Arbus attributed
Located in CA, CA
An elegant pair of French table lamps from the 1940s attributed to Andre Arbus. Of neoclassical obelisk form on low square basses wrapped in parchment and finished with brass ball and upturned cup...
Parchment Paper
Peter Church style six-light chandelier, 1940s
By Pietro Chiesa
Located in Bastia Umbra, IT
Pietro Chiesa style six-light chandelier, Made in Italy, 1940s. Very rare six-light chandelier in the style of Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte of the 1940s. Made of six round brass tu...
Metal, Brass
Orrefors Glass Chandelier, 1940s
By Orrefors
Located in Vienna, AT
Swedish textured glass chandelier by Orrefors from the 1940s. Polished nickel hardware with a large lightly amber-tinted glass shade that is satinated and has a floral/sunburst motif...
Nickel
Andre Arbus Sconces, 4 Pairs Available, Priced by Pair
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Very rare suite of four pair of sconces in the style of Andre Arbus. US rewired, and in working condition. Two bulb per sconce, 60 watts max. Priced by pair. Have a look on our the l...
Crystal, Iron, Bronze
Swedish Modern, 6-light brass chandelier, 1930s/1940s
Located in Uppsala, SE
Swedish Modern, 6-light brass chandelier. very nice, almost drop shaped, central decor element from which all of the 6 arms are attached. All the arms also have a kind of decoration ...
Brass
A Danish Modern Art Deco Chandelier, Glass & Brass, 1940s
Located in Odense, DK
A truly beautiful Art Deco chandelier made in brass and glass. Crafted in Denmark during the mid-20th century, this chandelier is a true testament to the marriage of craftsmanship a...
Brass
Pair of Murano glass sconces by Veronèse for André Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Bois-Colombes, FR
1940's Murano glass sconces Double lights Dimensions given with glass shade
Murano Glass
$433Sale Price|75% Off
H 30.71 in Dm 20.48 in
Art Deco Ceiling Light in Chrome, Czechoslovakia, circa 1940s
Located in Zohor, SK
Beautiful ceiling light from Art Deco era in Czechoslovakia. Produced in Czechoslovakia in circa 1940s. The light is on a chrome construction with the typical design of the era. Thre...
Stainless Steel