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.
Side Table by Andre Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Bridgewater, CT
Andre Arbus side table. Cream lacquer and parchment, signed twice. Measures: Height 19", width 22.5", depth 16".
Wood, Parchment Paper
Andre Arbus and Gilbert Poillerat Small Table
By Gilbert Poillerat, André Arbus
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Forties Art Deco petite drinks/coffee/cocktail table designed by Andre Arbus and executed by Gilbert Poillerat, circa 1945 in patinated iron with gilt details. This small gem ...
Iron
$320,000
H 21.66 in W 20.08 in D 43.31 in
Coffee Table Attributed to André Arbus, France, 1920, Materials: Leather, Wood
By André Arbus
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Logistics and International Shipping We provide a comprehensive export service so that your only concern is enjoying your acquisition. • Door-to-Door Service: Pieces located in our A...
Bronze
Andre Arbus Style Sun Glass Bronze Tripod Table Deco, Midcentury, France, 1950
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Andre Arbus style etched sun glass bronze tripod table Deco, midcentury, 1950, France This is a beautiful and rare etched glass tripod table. Would have been used as a center table. ...
Bronze
André Arbus - Gaming Table
By André Arbus
Located in Hasselt, VLI
Slightly decorated, yet simple Art Deco gaming table, designed by André Léon Arbus for a private residence in Toulouse. Made from mahogany and mahogany veneer, this game table has a...
Felt, Mahogany
Rosewood Side Table by Knoll
By Knoll
Located in Highland, IN
This end table has a stunningly beautiful top of rich, highly figured rosewood supported by an ebonized black base. Like all Knoll pieces it is impeccably constructed and features re...
Rosewood
Pair of Andre Arbus Style End Tables, circa 1940
By André Arbus
Located in North Bergen, NJ
A pair of Andre Arbus style end tables having shaped top over two bow front drawers supported on bronze mounted tapered legs.
$24,500Sale Price|30% Off
H 29.5 in W 103 in D 43 in
Art Deco Dining Table by André Arbus, Mahogany & Bronze, France, 1938
By André Arbus
Located in Hanover, MA
French-polished rectangular table in acajou crotch mahogany attributed to André Arbus, circa 1938. Four-way book matched veneer top. Double beveled edge on 2 inch thick top. Eight sq...
Bronze
$16,640
H 30 in W 106 in D 38.5 in
French Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical Dining Table by Andre Arbus, Paris, 1949
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
An Elegant And Timeless French Late Art Deco / Modern Neoclassical dining room table in Cherry wood by Andre Arbus. The table without leaves is 72" ...
Brass
$4,000 / set
H 26.5 in W 19.5 in D 11.75 in
Pair of French Modernist Silvered Wood, Mahogany and Blonde Side/ Night tables
By André Arbus
Located in New York City, NY
A glamorous pair of French modern mixed media night stands in lacquered warm silver/ white gold, mahogany and blonde wood. The cubist and angular shape is trimmed with a sinuous scroll ended molding at the top and bottom, while supported with four short and graceful cabriole legs. A single front door houses a raw interior space and above it rests an open finished cubby hole compartment with mahogany floor. The mahogany inlaid chevron parquetry design on the door is accented with the original oblong decorative handle in polished nickel. In the style of Andre Arbus. Manufacturer stamp on back. Of functional and aesthetic design that would complement any setting ex: Italian, Modernist, Art Deco, Scandinavian, Hollywood Regency, Organic modern French...
Mahogany
Andre Bus Designed Tables for Lane
By Lane Acclaim, Andre Bus
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Designed by Andre Bus for Lane in the early 1960s. These tables feature soft edges, tapered legs, bottom shelf. Their most distinctive feature is the exposed pecan inlay. Please conf...
Walnut
$9,999 / set
H 23.23 in Dm 19.69 in
Art Deco Andre Arbus Parchment Leather and Mirror Side Tables, France, 1930s
By André Arbus
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Lovely pair of sofa side tables. Wood covered with parchment leather. Original mirror on the top. Made in France, 1930s.
Brass
Andre Arbus French Art Deco Dining Table
By André Arbus
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Art Deco dining table by Andre Arbus, circa 1938, in mahogany. This signed and documented model is featured in the book, Andre Arbus, by Yvonne Brunhammer (1996) and a variant...
Mahogany