Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
With its undulating, futuristic and playful form, it’s easy to see why filmmaker Stanley Kubrick chose to use Olivier Mourgue’s iconic Djinn chair in his 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. But the French artist and industrial designer is known for much more than the Space Age Djinn. From his whimsical Flower floor lamps to his anthropomorphic Bouloum chair, Mourgue is renowned as an important contributor to the 1960s Pop art era of modern furniture design.
Born in Paris in 1939, Mourgue grew up in an apartment filled with Empire-style antique furniture, which he derided as having “nothing to do with life.” He later studied art at Paris’s École Boulle, graduating in 1958. He then attended the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs.
In 1959, his former teacher at École Boulle, Marcel Merpillat, encouraged him to present a chair he designed at a competition hosted by furniture manufacturer Airborne. Airborne founder Charles Bernard was impressed by Mourgue’s design, which featured a leather-upholstered seat attached to a chrome steel frame; it was produced by the company under the name the Joker. Mourgue designed several other mid-century modern pieces for Airborne throughout the 1960s, including the Whist chaise longue, the rotund Montreal chair, the unique Cubique chair and the Djinn series, which first appeared in 1964.
In addition to Airborne, Mourgue has designed for furniture manufacturers such as Disderot and Prisunic, and collaborated with British architect and designer Sir Norman Foster and Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa.
Mourgue worked for Le Mobilier National to design the French Pavilion for Montreal’s Expo ‘67. In 1968, he received the International Design Award from the Institute of Interior Designers in New York for the Djinn lounge chair. He also exhibited several of his works at Expo ‘70 in Osaka, Japan.
Today, Mourgue’s pieces are part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Olivier Mourgue seating, lighting and more.
Mid-20th Century French Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Crystal, Steel, Chrome
Late 20th Century Unknown Post-Modern Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Metal, Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Teak
Late 20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Glass
1980s French Vintage Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Ash
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Enamel, Steel
1970s Swedish Vintage Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Pine
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Crystal
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Olivier Mourgue Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
