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.
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
Art Deco Square Table by André Arbus, Lacquered Wood, France, 1940
By André Arbus
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Square table designed by Andre Arbus (1903-1996). Black gloss finish with golden bronze details. France, CIRCA 1940.
Wood
Art Deco Lyre Shaped Side Table by André Arbus, France, Circa 1930
By André Arbus
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Art deco side table with a peculiar lyre shape. Designed by the french artist Andre Arbus (1903-1969). Walnut wood veneer and deatils, black gloss and metal details. France, CIRCA 1...
Metal
Art Deco round Oak Side Table, France 1930s
Located in Meulebeke, BE
France / 1930 / Side Table / oak / Art Deco A refined French Art Deco side table crafted in solid oak, dating from circa 1930. This elegant piece embodies the architectural harmony ...
Oak
$564Sale Price|26% Off
H 26.78 in W 20.48 in D 14.97 in
French Poplar Side Table Sellette or Nightstand Art Deco, circa 1930
Located in Labrit, Landes
Side, end table, selette or nightstand. The size of this little table with a drawer allows to use it for different functions. Made circa 1930, with the art déco characteristics: sty...
Poplar
French Art Deco Side Table with Marble Top, 1930s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Stunning and rare Art Deco side table. Striking French design from the 1930s. Solid oak with original colored marble top. The drawer has the original brass handle. This wonderful Art...
Marble, Brass
Art Deco Style Pair of Side Tables
By René Joubert and Philippe Petit
Located in Miami, FL
This pair of Art Deco side tables is attributed to Joubert et Petit for DIM (Décoration Intérieure Moderne), a renowned French workshop active in the 1920s and 1930s, Each tabla feat...
Glass, Rosewood
Wood and Marquetry Side Table, Art Deco Period, France, circa 1930
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Wood and marquetry side table. Art Deco period, France, circa 1930.
Wood
$3,723Sale Price|21% Off
H 19.81 in Dm 30.52 in
Art Deco Round Side Table, Rosewood Veneer, France, circa 1930
Located in Regensburg, DE
Elegant round original Art Deco side table or Gueridon from France around 1930. Rosewood veneer on top, plinth and three legs. Restored and hand polished with shellac. Old round gl...
Glass, Rosewood
French Art Deco Side Table, Walnut Wood, Curved Legs, 1940, Vintage
Located in Austin, TX
Side table from the Art Deco period in France. This piece has three curved legs that come together at the base. It is made of solid wood construction, primarily walnut and walnut ven...
Wood
Pair Art Deco Side Table by Modernage Furniture Company, Circa 1930's
By Modernage Furniture Company
Located in Bernville, PA
This stunning Art Deco Machine Age table was retailed by The Modernage Furniture Company in the 1930’s and 1940’s. It features an elegant circular design that supports a rectangular...
Maple
$2,638Sale Price|32% Off
H 18.71 in W 17.72 in D 25.4 in
Art Deco / Bauhaus Side Table, Black Lacquer, Chromed, Austria, circa 1920
Located in Regensburg, DE
Wonderful, rare and high-qulaity restored side table / former luggage table. The table was used as a luggage table in the 1920/30s with steel trims at the top for placing a suitcase...
Metal
$3,850 / set
H 22 in W 24 in D 12 in
Andre Arbus Attributed White Lacquer Tables Pair Console or End Tables Art Deco
By André Arbus
Located in Atlanta, GA
Elegant Pair of French Tables, attributed to Andre Arbus, unsigned, France, circa 1930s. A similar example of this Arbus design sold at Christies, see last photo. They have been refi...
Metal
$4,593
H 27.17 in W 27.17 in D 24.81 in
Art Deco Side Table in Amboina Burl Wood High Gloss Lacquered, France 1930s
Located in Ulm, DE
Art Deco Side Table, Vintage French Coffee Table, Round Amboina Burl End Table, 1930s Original – this rare and beautifully restored piece is the perfect find for anyone searching for...
Amboyna
Art Deco Side Table - Cylindrical Occasional Sycamore Circa 1930
Located in Potters Bar, GB
Art Deco Sycamore Cylindrical Occasional Table. Circa 1930 Standing on a raised base with a Cylindrical Column and a Drum type Top with 4 Useful Compartments. In Excellent Condition....
Wood
André Arbus Pair of Sycamore Brass Neoclassical Gueridon Tables 1940s
By André Arbus
Located in Paris, IDF
This elegant André Arbus pair of gueridons is sure to add an element of French neoclassicism chic to any room. It was designed and produced by André Arbus in the late 1940s. With sha...
Brass
Neoclassical Guéridon by André Arbus
By André Arbus, Baker Furniture Company
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Accent table, of painted and parcel gilt iron, designed by André Arbus; having a round top of antiqued mirror, with a looped, pierced gallery, raised on a trio of feathered arrow leg...
Iron
Sold
H 27.1 in Dm 26 in
Circular Midcentury Sunburst Inlaid Gueridon Table, the André Arbus Collection
By Baker Furniture Company, André Arbus
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Circular Mid-Century Modern maple sunburst inlaid Gueridon table, by the André Arbus collection for baker.
Cherry, Maple
Pair of Ebonized Console Tables Designed by Andre Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Stamford, CT
A pair of ebonized beech console tables designed by Andre Arbus. Each leg terminating in d'ore bronze sabot. An example of this console was pro...
Bronze