André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
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.
1930s French Art Deco Vintage André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak, Bone
1930s French Neoclassical Vintage André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Parchment Paper
Late 20th Century American Art Deco André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany, Satinwood, Hardwood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Rosewood
1940s Dutch Vintage André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Neoclassical André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
2010s Italian Modern André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
19th Century Russian Neoclassical Antique André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
1940s French Art Deco Vintage André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
17th Century English Georgian Antique André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
1930s French Art Deco Vintage André Arbus Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
