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.
$140,156
"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
Incredible Pair of Brass Flower Motif Candleabra
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Lovely pair of tall circular brass candleabra having decorative flower motif candle holders at graduated heights. Will sell individually.
Brass
Antique Austrian Brass Candleabra with Phoenix
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage Austrian brass candleabra with phoenix, circa 1900. Beautiful ornate design with four with 1" openings for the candles. The piece is in good condition and measures 14"W x 8.5...
Brass
Pair of 19th Century II Empire Four-Light Candleabra
Located in Westport, CT
Pair of lovely and refined matte and gilded bronze four light candleabras with siena marble bases, Napoleon III period (would also make handsome lamps)
Marble, Bronze
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
Pair of 19th Century French Gilt Bronze Candlesticks
Located in New York, NY
Pair of French gilt bronze candlesticks three-light candleholder. France, 19th century.
Bronze
Coppia di Candelieri Barocchi a Rocchetto in Bronzo Firenze XVII
Located in Pistoia, IT
Coppia di pique-cierges barocchi in bronzo fuso e tornito, Firenze, XVII secolo. Typical Florentine pique-cierges model known by the name "rocchetto" from the particular shape remini...
Bronze
$450 / set
H 5.5 in W 8 in D 4.75 in
Pair of Vintage Italian Gilt Tole Florentine Grapeleaf Candleabra
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pair of striking circa 1970s Italian candleholders in gilt tole with grapeleaf and grape motif. Each sconce holds two candles. Nice patina / age-appropriate wear to the gilt.
Metal
$1,285
H 20.08 in W 8.47 in D 6.54 in
Antique Bronze-Gilt Knight Candelabra Pair, Late 19th Century Film Props
Located in King's Lynn, GB
Pair of Late 19th Century Continental Bronze-Gilt Three-Light Candelabra A striking pair of late 19th-century continental bronze-gilt three-light candelabra. Each candelabrum feature...
Bronze
$5,000
H 11 in W 9.75 in D 2.25 in
Ferdinand Barbedienne Pair of French Egyptian Revival Figural Candlestick
Located in New York, NY
Pair of French Egyptian Revival candelabra by Ferdinand Barbedienne (France, 1810-1892) Two-arm candleholder extends above a stylistic Egyp...
Bronze
Pareja de candelabros; Francia, época Imperio, c. 1810
Located in MADRID, ES
Pareja de grandes candelabros; Francia, época Imperio, c. 1810, siglo XIX. Bronce dorado al mercurio y mármol negro belga. Estos candelabros de siete luces son un gran ejemplo del...
Belgian Black Marble, Bronze, Ormolu