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
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
Swedish Side Table in Pine attributed to Bo Fjæstad, 1930s
Located in Karlstad, SE
Beautiful side table by Bo Fjæstad, Sweden. This studio craft table is a great example of the pine furniture made for cabins that was produced during the early modernist era in Swede...
Pine
French Octagonal Art Deco Side Table, c. 1930s
Located in Antwerp, Antwerp
French Art Deco side table featuring a distinctive octagonal top and lower tier. The design is defined by its crisp geometry and restrained ornamentation, embodying the sophisticated...
Oak
Art Deco side table, 1930s
Located in Diest, BE
An elegant and authentic British Art Deco side table dating from the 1930s. This charming piece perfectly captures the sophistication of the era, featuring graceful lines, balanced p...
Wood
Art Deco Side Table, Europe, 1930s
Located in Praha, CZ
Made in Europe side table in good original condition sometimes scratches hard construction.
Wood
$5,800Sale Price|29% Off
H 23.75 in Dm 26.75 in
Vintage Art Deco Side Table, Handcrafted Walnut with Mirrored Top
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A round, vintage Art Deco French side, sofa table made of hand crafted polished Walnut, in good condition. The small detailed end table is composed with its original mirrored glass t...
Mirror, Walnut
$12,875
H 29.75 in W 39.5 in D 17 in
French Art Deco Modern Neoclassical Black Lacquer & Leather Console, Andre Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
An Elegant and Timeless French Late Art Deco / Mid-Century Modern Neoclassical black lacquered console or sofa table attributed to the leading Parisian interior designer of the 1940 ...
Brass
French Modernist Art Deco Tubular Steel Side Table, c. 1930s
Located in Antwerp, Antwerp
A rare and highly architectural French side table dating from the early Art Deco period. The design shows a richly figured dark wood body with a continuous tubular steel support, cre...
Metal
Art Deco round table, France, 1930s.
Located in Chorzów, PL
Art Deco table from the 1930s. Dimensions: height 62 cm / diameter 60 cm
Walnut
1930s French Art Deco Side Table
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A lovely small side table with inset mirror top and a floating shelf. Four legs that are offset from the corners and rotate around the table create a dynamic piece. French, circa 193...
Mirror, Wood
Art Deco Circular Side Table, Mahogany Parquetry, French, 1930s
Located in Queens, NY
Art Deco French circular end / side table with a beveled top inlaid with a contrasting "pie slice" parquetry mahogany veneer supported on a beveled square base, branching out to thre...
Wood
French Art Deco Mahogany and Mirror Side Table, France, ca. 1930
Located in New York, NY
A unique French Art Deco period table from France circa 1930. The top and front and rear surfaces are clad in mirror glass. The body of this Art Deco side table is constructed of mah...
Mirror, Mahogany
Sold
H 32.5 in W 36 in D 14.1 in
French 1940 Modern Neoclassical Ebonized Cherry & Marble Console by Andre Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Rare, refined and timeless French Mid-Century Modern neoclassical console by Andre Arbus circa 1940. The piece features a dramatic mannerist architectural model as it is set upon 6 h...
Marble, Brass