Set of Four 'Polaris' Swivel Chairs by Pierre Guariche for Meurop, 1960s

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Set of Four 'Polaris' Swivel Chairs by Pierre Guariche for Meurop, 1960s

About the Item

Set of four Polaris swivel dining chairs designed in 1965 by french designer Pierre Guariche for Meurop,Belgium. Featured in the colors ivory white,red and olive green skai, metal swivel base covered with black plastic disc. All four are in their original upholstery, all with sign of use during the years.These chairs were a part of a space-age themed series with the Luna, Jupiter and Mars chairs. Dimensions: H 75 P 50 L 50 cm Belgian furniture manufacturer Meurop is best known for its successful production of 1960s designs by Pierre Guariche (1926-1995), who was one of the most renowned French industrial and interior designers of the mid-20th century. In the early 1960s, Guariche’s designs for Meurop centred around storage items made from plywood, including teak-veneered dining tables , buffets , and shelves . Both the Shell Chair (1961) and the Polaris Chair (1965) marked a new era in Guariche’s career, as he abandoned natural materials such as wood in favor of synthetics and plastics. Referencing Charles & Ray Eames’ iconic side chairs, the Shell Chair, which was made from a light, yet strong piece of molded plastic, is thought to be representative of both a desire to produce affordable design through mass production, and a response to an increasingly consumerist society. Capturing the zeitgeist of the 1960s, Guariche also created a number of space and astronomically-inspired chairs for Meurop, including the Mars, Polaris Armchair (1965), Jupiter Armchair (1966), and Luna Armchair (1967), which also referenced apparent shapes seen in Arne Jacobsen's sculptured Egg Chair (1958). Riding on the coattails of his successful Mars Chair, Guariche became Artistic Director of Meurop in 1967. Today, many of Meurop’s original pieces have been relaunched by contemporary furniture producers and retails stores, including the French chain Maisons du Monde.

Creator:
Meurop (Manufacturer),Pierre Guariche (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 29.53 in (75 cm)Width: 19.69 in (50 cm)Depth: 19.69 in (50 cm)Seat Height: 17.72 in (45 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 4
Style:
Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Faux Leather,Metal,Plastic,Hand-Crafted
Place of Origin:
Belgium
Period:
1960-1969
Date of Manufacture:
1965
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Two cushions are renewed upholstery.
Seller Location:
Antwerp, BE
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU931826329752

Shop All Pierre Guariche

Pierre Guariche

The architect Pierre Guariche was one of the leading modern furniture and lighting designers of postwar France. Guariche can, in some ways, be thought of as the French version of Charles Eames: with his lean and angular chairs and slender, sculptural table lamps, he helped introduce a new aesthetic to the country’s interiors — and he was an eager pioneer in the use of new industrial materials and production techniques that emerged in the 1950s.

Guariche studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (the national design academy) under René Gabriel — a designer known for his quality, mass-produced furnishings, who served as a director of the postwar Ministry of Reconstruction. Two years after graduating in 1949, Guariche opened his own design firm, and he was soon creating pieces for numerous companies, including the lighting manufacturer Disderot.

Wood and metal were rationed in the years following the war and Guariche learned to do more with less. His chairs of the early 1950s include several designs with narrow, softly angular wooden frames; others, like the Tonneau chair, feature a single piece of molded plywood set atop metal legs. His lamps of the period are likely his best-known works. They include delicate compositions of slender steel tubes, and more flamboyant pieces such as the Kite lamp, with its curved metal reflector panel.

Always on the lookout for new materials, Guariche spent several years in the mid-1950s operating a firm making furniture in fiberglass and other plastics, along with Joseph André Motte and others. After 1957 — when Guariche was named head of design for the Belgian company Meurop and given a brief to create stylish, up-to-date chairs and cabinets — he began to look to America for ideas.

In the mid-1960s, Guariche produced several lines of deeply upholstered, rounded lounge chairs inspired by the Space Age look, and gave them names like Jupiter, Polaris and Luna. While Guariche always kept pace with his times, throughout his career he showed a consistent talent for producing elegant, eye-catching forms using a minimum of materials.

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