By Georges Candilis
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
A rare set of two chairs and matching side table (or stool) designed by architect Georges Candilis (1913-1995) .Candelis created these chairs for the 'Les Carrats' holiday resort that he designed in Port-Leucate, France with Finnish interior designer Anja Blomstedt (who also worked with Charlotte Perriand at the time). ). They had the idea of creating soulful, cheap and simple furniture that was easy to disassemble and transport, yet still be strong and hard wearing, consisting of simple pieces of solid wood or plywood held in place with aluminium angle brackets. Chairs, tables, beds and shelves were designed using a unique assembly system, patented in 1969 by the duo, consisting of connecting a vertical support upright in solid wood to a horizontal plywood top using a metal bracket. Please see original black and white photo, Image number 2, which illustrates Candelis' 'les Carrats' funriture in situ in the early 1970s.
A unique and small original edition of this furniture was fabricated and assembled at the famous 'Sentou' workshops, all of which were destined for the 'Les Carrats' resort. Only around two hundred pieces still exist and very few in such nice oriiginal condition..I n 2014, the Les Carrats holiday village was included in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments
The 'Carrats' holiday village completed during the period 1967-9 was finally opened in 1970, and occupies nearly five hectares by the beach, almost at the western end of Port-Leucate. For the Candilis team, the Carrats operation becomes a place of architectural experimentation with a social dimension. Composed of cubic-shaped bungalows, its roof terraces, its patios, collective buildings, the numerous public places (small squares, play areas) allowed the creation of an ideal place where everything was done to tend towards individual and collective happiness.
This minimalistic soulful furniture designed complemented ideas behind the architectural holiday village perfectly. As the budget was limited, Candilis had to design smart, creating the idea of a modular useable idea into all his pieces. A simple but strong cast aluminium corner construction part allowed Candilis to mass produce that part and use it into different pieces of furniture, with the aluminium connection as centre construction piece. The chairs have solid ash feet and birch plywood seats and backs. The chairs were used many years pretty intense which gave them the beautiful patina they are in today. Since this was a beach location, Candilis added the rubber/metal feet to protect the chairs from water on the floors.
Georges Candilis was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and grew up in Athens, Greece, where he studied architecture and met great French architect Le Corbusier in the early 30s. He became one of his closest workshop collaborator and worked on the construction of La Cité Radieuse, Le Corbusier’s masterpiece in Marseille, developing some architectural principles like planned urbanism and « habitat au plus grand nombre » as logic responses to the growth and the changes of individual housing. Founding member of the Team X (or Team Ten), he then specialized with his partners Alexis Josic and Shadrach Woods in large scale projects for affordable and inclusive housing in the 50s like the Mirail in Toulouse or The Free University in Berlin, as well as projects in Casablanca. His rational and democratic approach of architecture led him to design a modular plastic camping unit known as « Hexacube » and a whole holiday resort in Port-Leucate, Les Carrats, with Finnish interior designer Anja Blomstedt (who also worked with Charlotte Perriand at the time.
ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHY:
Georges (Gheorghios) Candilis studied architecture at the Polytechnic in Athens (1931-36) , he met Le Corbusier during his studies, at CIAM IV (1933, Athens). As a result, Le Corbusier assigned Candilis the leadership of ASCORAL (Assemblee de constructeurs pour une renovation architecturale) in 1943.
Collaborations with Le Corbusier:-
In 1945 he joined the office of Le Corbusier, where he became one of the main collaborators. He also became the project architect for the construction of the Unite d'Habitation in Marseille (1945-52). In 1951 Candilis, Shadrach Woods and engineer Henri Piot become the leaders of ATBAT-Afrique in Tangiers, Morocco. ATBAT-Afrique was the African branch of ATBAT, Atelier des batisseurs, founded in 1947 by Le Corbusier, Vladimir Bodiansky, Andre Wogenscky...
Category
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Georges Candilis Chairs