Modernist Coin Tray by Jean-Boris Lacroix, circa 1930

Boris Lacroix was a French architect and interior designer famous for his seminal contributions to Art Deco, particularly his lamps and light fixture designs created during the 1950s. Lacroix’s work is most renowned for its sensitive and precise configurations of glass and metal in the fashioning of chandeliers, sconces and table lamps. He is also known for being an important artistic director for the fashion house Vionnet from the mid-1920s up until towards the end of the 1930s. He was one of the pioneers of modern lighting in his design of geometric forms and his development of specifically manufactured acrylic fixtures. In 1927, Lacroix exhibited his designs at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs as well as the Salon d’Automne to great critical success. The seamlessness of his design and quality of production was greatly appreciated. Particularly because Lacroix’s materials were also glass and metal, the way his pieces slotted into place was a feat in modern design and manufacturing. Lacroix left Vionnet in 1937 to begin his practice. After World War II, Lacroix re-established his practice and in 1950, launched his Dog Lamp design to huge success. This marked a turning point in his career as his designs attracted an enormous degree of popular attention from this point onwards. Throughout the 1950s, he launched several seminal and popular designs such as Lamp 315, which is still popular today. Lacroix died in Paris in 1984, aged 82.