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.
Vintage French Art Deco Armchairs Attributed to André Arbus, Circa 1930-1940
By André Arbus
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage French Art Deco pair of armchairs made of hand crafted shellac polished Oakwood, designed and produced by André Arbus in good condition. The detailed dining room chairs hav...
Fabric, Oak, Velvet, Upholstery
Art Deco Armchairs by André Arbus, Patinated Oak & Leather, 1940
By André Arbus
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Pair of armchairs designed by Andre Arbus (1903-1996). Oak wood with silver colored patina and leather upholstery. France, circa 1940.
Leather, Oak
Art Deco Period Cherrywood Armchair by André Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Montreal, QC
Art Deco Period cherrywood armchair by André Arbus.
Cherry
$23,920Sale Price / set|20% Off
Mid-Century Set of four Armchairs by André Arbus.
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
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 French Art Deco Armchairs attributed to Andre Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Atlanta, GA
Pair of French Art Deco Oak arm chairs, attributed to Andre Arbus, French, circa 1940s. They retain their original naugahyde upholstery. Measurements: 39"H x 24"W x 22"D x 19"Seat H ...
Upholstery, Oak
$3,686Sale Price|20% Off
H 37.41 in W 35.44 in D 34.26 in
Art Deco Club Armchair in Hand-Patinated Cognac Leather
Located in Darmstadt, DE
A superb club armchair crafted in the style of 1930s French Art Deco design. Upholstered in hand-patinated cognac-brown sheep leather, the chair combines classic proportions with lux...
Leather, Sheepskin, Beech
$3,488
H 30.71 in W 23.63 in D 22.84 in
Art Deco Armchair in Oak with Patinated Leather, France, 1920s Design
By Frank Lloyd Wright
Located in Berlin, DE
A striking early Art Deco armchair distinguished by its sharply faceted geometry and stepped side profiles. Constructed in solid wood with original patinated leather panels, the chai...
Faux Leather, Oak
André Sornay, Armchair, Wood, Leather, France, 1940s
By Andre Sornay
Located in High Point, NC
A red leather and wood armchair designed and produced by André Sornay, France, 1940s. Heavy wear on arm rests with natural dry cracking. Moderate wear to fabric (residue buildup an...
Leather, Wood
$1,196Sale Price|20% Off
H 17.25 in W 21.5 in D 21.5 in
Andre Arbus Art Deco Style Gilt Iron Curcular Upholstered Stool
By André Arbus
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This Andre Arbus Art Deco style gilt iron circular upholstered stool exudes timeless elegance and French sophistication. Designed in the manner of the iconic 20th-century designer An...
Iron, Gold Leaf
$6,000 / set
H 37.25 in W 23 in D 21 in
Set of 4 French Art Deco Beige Velvet & Black Satin Beech Armchairs, Circa 1940
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Set of four armchairs from the late Art Deco period in the style of André Arbus. Lacquered in a semi gloss black color, circa 1940. The chairs have been recently reupholstered in a ...
Beech
Art Deco Armchair, France, 1930s/40s
By Jules Leleu, Dominique, Paul Dupré-Lafon, André Arbus
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A rare and unusual Art Deco armchair, France, 1930s/40s. Reupholstery options available - please enquire. Fast shipping worldwide.
Fabric, Wood
Rare Art Deco Armchair No 2, France, 1930s/40s
By André Arbus, Jules Leleu, Dominique, Paul Dupré-Lafon
Located in Lewes, East Sussex
A rare, unusual Art Deco armchair, France, 1930s/40s. Fast shipping worldwide. 46 cm x 56 cm x H 94 cm SH 33cm A similar chair is available - see final photo
Fabric, Wood
Polexim Armchair, patinated nature leather, 1940s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Polexim armchair in style of Kaare Klint. Frame of mahogany. Upholstered with patinated nature leather. With brass nails. Made in the 1940s.
Brass
Andre Arbus-Style Pair of Large-Scale Armchairs
By André Arbus
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Forties Art Deco pair of large-scale armchairs in the style of Andre Arbus. 26” wide x 30” deep x 37” high. Andre Arbus (1903-1969) French Art Deco Architect and Designer, ANDRE ARBUS, was born in Toulouse, France and was a third-generation cabinetmaker. Arbus became active in the Salons of the Societe des Artistes Decorateurs and the Salon d’Automne in Paris in 1925 at the young age of 22. His work included commissions for the 1922 oceanliner Bretagne, the 1927 La Provence and Ile-de-France as well as the 1961 France. He often used rare and exotic materials in his refined designs. These were elegant and pure and often gave the appearance of fragility – as in his neo-classical presentation at the Paris International Exposition of 1937. He compared the joints in his furniture to the joints of the human hand. His commissions also included private townhouses as well as Le Mobilier National for which he designed a desk for U.S. Ambassador W. H. Harriman, and the post World War II Medici Room of the Chateau de Rambouillet.
Wood
$5,900
H 21.5 in W 19 in D 19 in
French Art Deco / Modern Neoclassical Vanity Chair, Attributed André Arbus, 1930
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Elegant French Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical / Art Deco vanity chair or stool attributed to André Arbus circa 1930. The piece has a dramatic form including rear saber legs and camb...
Walnut
$8,950 / set
H 34.75 in W 23 in D 17 in
Pair of Austrian Biedermeier 1840s, Armchairs with Pierced Backs and Cane Seats
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of Austrian Biedermeier armchairs from the mid-19th century with pierced back, cane seats and seat cushion. Each chair features a pierced design on the back, reminiscent of Go...
Upholstery, Cane, Wood
André Arbus set of four ash wood neoclassical armchairs 1940s
By André Arbus
Located in Paris, IDF
These elegant André Arbus armchairs are sure to add an element of French neoclassicism chic to any room in your home. They were designed and produced by André Arbus for the headquart...
Wood
Armchairs, André Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Allerum, SE
Pair of armchairs by André Arbus (1903-1969) in elm burr veneer. Ca 1930s France.
Elm
Art Deco Period Cherrywood Desk Chair by André Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Montreal, QC
Art Deco Period cherrywood desk chair by André Arbus. with brand new upholstering.
Cherry
André Arbus Armchair, 1940
By André Arbus
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Unique French armchair in the style of André Arbus, famous parisian decorator working in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s (in the same way as Jean-Michel Frank, ...
Fabric, Wood
Pair of 1930s French Chairs by André Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in London, GB
Exceptionally good quality 1930s French chairs from the Arbus workshop privately commissioned in Argentina from Comte by the Edelman family. Com...
Wood
Mid-Century, French, Armchair by André Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Stamford, CT
Mid-20th century, cherrywood armchair by renowned French architect, sculptor and furniture designer André Arbus (1903-1969), circa 1940.
Cherry
Pair of Silk Armless Armchairs by André Arbus, circa 1935-1940
By André Arbus
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pair of large and elegant low armless armchairs with an ivory lacquered wooden structure (original lacquer with a small chip on one front foot.) Rear...
1930s André Arbus Armchair Newly Upholstered in Hermès
By Hermès, André Arbus
Located in The Hague, NL
This elegant André Arbus armchair has been newly upholstered in a Yuzu colored Hermès Chevronné fabric. The design of the original metal frame is...
Metal
Fine French Art Deco Oak Armchair by Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Long Island City, NY
A fine French Art Deco solid oak armchair by Andre Arbus. Created by Arbus for "la Chambre du Commerce et de l'Industrie D'Orleans" in the 1950s. Expert: Amelie Marcilhac.
Fabric, Oak
André Arbus Pair of Armchairs, circa 1950
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
André Arbus, Pair of armchairs, circa 1950. Leather and wood.
Leather, Wood
Pair of Art Deco Armchairs by André Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
- Work by the French designer André Arbus - Art Deco furniture, 1940 - Rosewood armchairs with white cloth trim. - Front hoof and back saber feet
Rosewood
Pair of Armchairs by Andre Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Andre Arbus ( 1903- 1969) Pair of mahogany armchairs. France,1950's 21 x 21 x 17 H @ seat/ 32 H Part of our new shipment on view at our gallery: 978 Lexington Ave ( 71/72 ...
Mahogany