Artist and furniture creator André Dubreuil rejected the label "designer” and dismissed the notion of form over function. He’s on record as having said, "if we were merely functionalists we would still be sitting on rocks." Dubreuil's passion was to catch a person's attention and hold it — he did that with outwardly sculptural chairs, wrought iron tables and other furnishings.
Though his works serve their intended function quite well, Dubreuil intentionally masked their purpose in favor of producing pieces that bring delight to the beholder — as exemplified in his Spine chair, created in 1986. Arabesque lines bring form to his work by way of an almost lace-like structure in slender, curving metal table frames and chair legs. It's art that bears a resemblance to furniture.
Originally from Lyon, France, Dubreuil came from a wealthy pharmaceutical and medical research family. He had a classical upbringing, surrounded by ornate furniture and lavish decor, and so became accustomed to the finer things in life.
As a teenager, he moved to London to study drawing and drafting at the Inchbald School of Design. Dubreuil became a painter and worked as an antiques dealer before he fell in love with decorating. In 1981, he opened a workshop — alongside three colleagues, including British furniture designer Tom Dixon — creating decorative furniture from salvaged pieces of scrap metal and automotive parts.
Dubreuil drew on the work of French cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle and Louis XV-era furnishings as well as French Art Deco and Emilé-Jacques Ruhlmann. He eventually produced a body of work in patinated steel, copper, marble and colored glass for clients including Louis Vuitton and Chanel that would be just as much at home in an art gallery as it would be in a parlor or dining room.
Dubreuil passed away in 2022, leaving behind a magnificent array of furnishings that invite admiration and uplift any space.
Find vintage André Dubreuil tables, seating and lighting on 1stDibs.
$136,666
"Perles" candleabra
By André Dubreuil
Located in Paris, FR
The "Perles" candlesticks reveal all the poetry that André Dubreuil knew how to breathe into metal. Nicknamed the Poet of Iron, he transformed a raw, rigid material into forms that s...
Metal, Bronze, Iron
$16,000
H 23.5 in W 9.25 in D 7.5 in
Gilded Bronze & Blue John Candleabra in the Manner of Matthew Boulton
By Matthew Boulton
Located in Hudson, NY
This fine pair of four-light candelabra are English and made circa 1820. In the manner and style of the great English sliver and bronze craftsman Matthew Boulton, they are made from ...
Rock Crystal, Ormolu
Claude Boeltz, Bronze Eclaté Candleabras, France, circa 1970s
By Claude Victor Boeltz
Located in New York, NY
Claude Boeltz’s candelabras possess the asymmetrical, numinous beauty of lightening, mimicking the natural phenomenon in hue, form, and arrangement.
Quartz, Bronze
Rare Set Of Tiffany Studios Etruscan Guilded Candlesticks
Located in Harrington Park, NJ
TIFFANY STUDIOS CANDLESTICKS New York, New York, circa 1910, gilt bronze, each stamped 'TIFFANY STUDIOS NEW YORK 1213, ht. from 16 3/4 to 18 1/2 in.
Bronze
$740 / set
H 3.55 in W 2.37 in D 2.37 in
Pair of Swedish Art Deco Bronze Candlesticks by Ystad-Brons, 1930s
By Ystad-Metall, Carl-Einar Borgstrom
Located in Aartselaar, BE
An Art Deco bronze pair of candleholders with fluted trumpet sockets and square base over a scalloped reveals, finished with a handsome enameled verdigris-antique finish. Designed b...
Bronze
Monumental Black Hand Wrought Iron 3 Tiered Spanish Freestanding Candleabra
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Dramatic and impressive in scale Spanish vintage freestanding hand wrought iron candelabra having 3 tiers that rotate and have spikes to hold multiple candles. Tiers are as follows: ...
Wrought Iron
A rare pair of Tiffany Studios Etruscan bronze Candlesticks
By Tiffany Studios
Located in Harrington Park, NJ
A matched pair of art nouveau tall and slender candlesticks, In dark patinated bronze and gilded bronze. A large disc with rippled edge and swirling texture serves as the foot of t...
Bronze
$2,720Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 31.5 in W 15 in D 15 in
Pair of French 19th C. Candleabra Bronze Dore Et Patine, Marble and Black Base
Located in Houston, TX
Pair of French candleabrum with marble and black stone base, having scrolled handles With Bacchus mask joins. Each with seven candle nozzles, the standar...
Bronze
1960s Bronze Candelabra Chandelier by Michael Harjes with Six Holders
By Michael Harjes
Located in London, GB
Bronze cast candelabra pendant composed of six cast arms candle holder for regular candles hanging from a chain, Germany 1960's. The candelabra is ...
Bronze
$9,000 / set
H 21.65 in W 21.65 in D 11 in
French Bronze Ten-Light Candelabra with Stylised Stags, Warm Patina, 1970s
By Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne
Located in New York, NY
An impressive pair of ten-light bronze candelabra with a warm, medal-toned patina, decorated with stylised stag figures. Made in France in the 1970s and not later reproductions. Both...
Bronze
$3,069Sale Price|44% Off
H 19.5 in W 17 in D 10 in
In Stock in Los Angeles, Cherry Blossom Glass Candleabra, Simone Crestani
By Simone Crestani
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Scroll down and click "view all from Seller" to see more than 400 other unique products. Cherry blossom menorah glass sculpture, designed and created by Simone Crestani. Designed by...
Glass
Art Deco Chrome Silhouette Lady Candleabra 1930s
Located in Dereham, GB
Art Deco Chrome Silhouette Lady Candleabra 1930s Silhouette Lady in Diamond shape Frame Triple Candleholders on top, Chrome with Black Bakelite Disc Bases All Sitting on Circular Chr...
Chrome
$1,565 / set
H 3.15 in W 3.35 in D 3.35 in
Pair of Swedish Grace Bronze Candlesticks by GAB, Sweden, 1930s
By GAB Guldsmedsaktiebolaget
Located in Aartselaar, BE
An elegant pair of Swedish bronze candlesticks by GAB (Guldsmedsaktiebolaget), dating from the 1930s. A particularly attractive example of the restrained Swedish Grace / Scandinavia...
Bronze
$1,375Sale Price / set|50% Off
H 25.5 in W 10 in D 10 in
Fancy Pair of Neoclassical Style Bronze & Marble Candleabra
Located in Hopewell, NJ
French pair of antique bronze neoclassical ornate candleabra having rouge and black marble two tone bases, decorative chains adorning the 6 arms with central removeable finial that m...
Marble, Bronze
$3,063
H 28.35 in W 15.75 in D 11.03 in
Antique Pair of French Rococo Gilt Bronze Figural Candelabra, Late 19th Century
Located in King's Lynn, GB
A pair of French Rococo style gilt bronze figural candelabra, dating from the late 19th century. Each candelabrum issues four candle sconces on scrolling foliate branches, centred b...
Bronze
$325
H 2 in W 4.5 in D 4.25 in
Fine Bronze Art Deco Candlestick of Sculptural Form, Early 20th Century
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This striking Art Deco candlestick, clad in bronze, masterfully blends industrial grit with high-society elegance. Its rounded form rises in three distinct tiers, each meticulously s...
Bronze
Andre Dubreil Sculptural Iron Ram Chair for Ceccotti Collezioni
By André Dubreuil, Ceccotti
Located in Ferndale, MI
Beautifully formed iron chair in excellent original steel grey finish. Stamped Ceccotti Collezioni Designed by Andre Dubreil.
Wrought Iron