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Jean Prouvé

French, 1901-1984

Engineer and metalsmith, self-taught designer and architect, manufacturer and teacher, Jean Prouvé was a key force in the evolution of 20th-century French design, introducing a style that combined economy of means and stylistic chic. Along with his frequent client and collaborator Le Corbusier and others, Prouvé, using his practical skills and his understanding of industrial materials, steered French modernism onto a path that fostered principled, democratic approaches to architecture and design.

Prouvé was born in Nancy, a city with a deep association with the decorative arts. (It is home, for example, to the famed Daum crystal manufactory.) His father, Victor Prouvé, was a ceramist and a friend and co-worker of such stars of the Art Nouveau era as glass artist Émile Gallé and furniture maker Louis Majorelle. Jean Prouvé apprenticed to a blacksmith, studied engineering, and produced ironwork for such greats of French modernism as the architect Robert Mallet-Stevens. In 1931, he opened the firm Atelier Prouvé. There, he perfected techniques in folded metal that resulted in his Standard chair (1934) and other designs aimed at institutions such as schools and hospitals.

During World War II, Prouvé was a member of the French Resistance, and his first postwar efforts were devoted to designing metal pre-fab housing for those left homeless by the conflict. In the 1950s, Prouvé would unite with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret (Le Corbusier’s cousin) on numerous design projects. In 1952, he and Perriand and artist Sonia Delaunay created pieces for the Cité Internationale Universitaire foundation in Paris, which included the colorful, segmented bookshelves that are likely Prouvé’s and Perriand’s best-known designs. The pair also collaborated on 1954’s Antony line of furniture, which again, like the works on 1stDibs, demonstrated a facility for combining material strength with lightness of form.

Prouvé spent his latter decades mostly as a teacher. His work has recently won new appreciation: in 2008 the hotelier Andre Balazs purchased at auction (hammer price: just under $5 million) the Maison Tropicale, a 1951 architectural prototype house that could be shipped flat-packed, and was meant for use by Air France employees in the Congo. Other current Prouvé collectors include Brad Pitt, Larry Gagosian, Martha Stewart and the fashion designer Marc Jacobs.

The rediscovery of Jean Prouvé — given not only the aesthetic and practical power of his designs but also the social conscience his work represents — marks one of the signal “good” aspects of collecting vintage 20th-century design. An appreciation of Prouvé is an appreciation of human decency.

Find antique Jean Prouvé chairs, tables, chaise longues and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$2,805
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Iconic Designs from Jean Prouvé
Explore timeless pieces that have earned their place in history.
Jean Prouve Standard Chair
Jean Prouve Standard Chair
Compas Direction Desk
Compas Direction Desk
Jean Prouvé Petit Potence Black Wall Lamp by Vitra
By Vitra, Jean Prouvé
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Industrial and minimalistic wall lamp designed by Jean Prouvé and produced by Vitra. The Potence swiveling wall lamp was designed by Jean Prouvé...
Category

1940s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jean Prouvé

Materials

Steel

Jean Prouvé Tabouret Solvay / Bois Stool in Solid Natural Oak by Vitra
By Vitra, Jean Prouvé
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The Tabouret Bois (Solvay) is designed by Jean Prouvé and manufactured by Vitra. The design of the Tabouret Bois clearly bears the signature of Jean Prouvé. The shape is based on the...
Category

1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jean Prouvé

Materials

Metal

Small Jean Prouvé Guéridon Dining Table in Natural Oak for Vitra
By Vitra, Jean Prouvé
Located in Glendale, CA
Small Jean Prouvé Guéridon dining table in natural oak for Vitra. Designed in 1949 for the University of Paris, the Guéridon is an ea...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Jean Prouvé

Materials

Steel

Jean Prouvé 'Petite Potence' Pivoting Wall Light in Black for Vitra
By Jean Prouvé, Vitra
Located in Glendale, CA
Jean Prouvé 'Petite Potence' wall light in black for Vitra. Jean Prouvé created the first version of the Potence wall lamp in the 1940s for his own ho...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary German Mid-Century Modern Jean Prouvé

Materials

Steel

Jean Prouvé Compas Direction Desk in Natural Oak and Black Metal for Vitra
By Jean Prouvé, Vitra
Located in Glendale, CA
Jean Prouvé Compas Direction desk in natural oak and black metal for Vitra. Originally designed in 1953, Prouvé's iconic desk is based the design on t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary German Mid-Century Modern Jean Prouvé

Materials

Steel, Metal

Jean Prouvé Standard Chair in Natural Oak and Black Metal for Vitra
By Jean Prouvé, Vitra
Located in Glendale, CA
Jean Prouvé standard chair in natural oak and black metal for Vitra. The standard chair is an early masterpiece by the French designer and engine...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary German Mid-Century Modern Jean Prouvé

Materials

Steel

Jean Prouvé Standard Chair in Natural Oak and Japanese Red for Vitra
By Jean Prouvé, Vitra
Located in Glendale, CA
Jean Prouvé Standard chair in natural oak and Japanese red for Vitra. The Standard chair is an early masterpiece by the French designer and engineer Jean Prouvé. Originally designed ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Jean Prouvé

Materials

Steel

Jean Prouvé INSA facade panel France 1960 large
By Jean Prouvé
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Architectural ribbed so called "grill" facade element designed by Jean Prouve and manufactured by C.I.M.T (Compagnie industrielle du matériel de transport) in Neuilly sur Seine, Fran...
Category

1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Jean Prouvé

Materials

Aluminum

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Creators Similar to Jean Prouvé

More Jean Prouvé Designs
Jean Prouve Standard Chair
Jean Prouve Standard Chair
Average Price
$33,911
Number Available
8
Jean Prouve Standard Chair
By Jean Prouvé
Materials
Metal, Wood, Oak, Plywood, Steel
Styles
Mid Century Modern
Most people don’t contemplate how a chair was engineered before they sit in it — they simply trust that it will support them. But the overtly utilitarian Standard chair confronts potential sitters with its design, demonstrating in a forthright manner the engineering that renders it possible for a chair to bear weight. For a traditional chair with four legs, such as the aptly titled Standard chair, it’s the back two legs that carry the most stress. Its designer, Jean Prouvé (1901–84) demonstra...
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Compas Direction Desk
Compas Direction Desk
Average Price
$13,713
Number Available
3
Compas Direction Desk
By Jean Prouvé
Materials
Metal, Wood, Aluminum, Laminate, Oak, Steel
Styles
Mid Century Modern, Industrial
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Jean Prouvé furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Jean Prouvé furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Jean Prouvé furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 96 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 11 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Jean Prouvé were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by André Sornay, Joseph-André Motte, and Pierre Guariche. Prices for Jean Prouvé furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $754 and can go as high as $1,078,195, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,900.

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