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Pair of Pierre Guariche Yellow Fiberglass Side Chairs by Steiner - France 1950's

About the Item

Rare pair of yellow fiberglass side chairs by Pierre Guariche in good vintage. These "tonneau" chaped chairs are iconic Guariche pieces and epitomize his series of compact barrel shaped chairs to which belong the famous Amsterdam plywood chairs. In this case fiberglass add to the "leggera" aspects of his design and provide for additional elegance. Minor corrosion on metal links. Original black paint on bases. Pierre Guariche (1926 - 1985) is a French furniture and lighting designer. Coming from a long line of Parisian goldsmiths, the precision and ability of this speciality is found in his creations. After his studies at the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs he became a student of René Gabriel and Macel Gascoin. It is the latter that encouraged Guariche to present his creations to the Salons des Artistes Decorateurs after completing his diploma. Guariche's pieces reveal a true quality of conception and a finess in execution without precedant. All of these elements, doubled with elegance, contributed to his recognition. The most prestigious editing houses of the time such as Steiner, Airborne, Charron, Huchier-Mainvielle and MAI gallery produced his creations. The barrel chair from 1953 constitutes his first popular success and the model rapidly became iconic. For Airborne, Pierre Guariche conceived Prefacto, a complete habitation concept. This creation was the very representation of the symbiosis between interior architecture and furnishing so dear to Pierre Guariche. His lighting was also a big success : balances, counter weights and double wall lights constitute the major elements of Guariche's style. His agency, created in 1952, would rapidly be surpassed by orders, so Pierre Guariche created ARP (Atelier de Recherche Plastique) in association with Joseph-André Motte and Michel Mortier. This union, though brief, from 1954 to 1957, nevertheless left an important mark on the history of French decorative arts of the 20th century. Following ARP, Guariche became the artistic director of the Belgian company Meurop. His inventiveness and spirit of synthesis contributed to his recognition by the public and the State.

Creator:

Siege Steiner (Manufacturer),Pierre Guariche (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)Depth: 19.3 in (49.03 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)

Sold As:

Set of 2

Style:

Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Fiberglass,Steel

Place of Origin:

France

Period:

1950-1959

Date of Manufacture:

ca 1950

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.

Seller Location:

New York, NY

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU994935658042

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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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