Dactylo Desk, Bureau Dactylo, Jean Prouvé, circa 1941, France, Oak and Metal
View Similar Items
Dactylo Desk, Bureau Dactylo, Jean Prouvé, circa 1941, France, Oak and Metal
About the Item
- Creator:Jean Prouvé (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 48.04 in (122 cm)Depth: 24.41 in (62 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1941
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3643112642932
Jean Prouvé
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 Jean Prouvé is an appreciation of human decency.
- 19th Century French Oak Barley Twist Bureau Plat DeskLocated in Rio Vista, CASpectacular 19th century French bureau plat writing table or desk featuring barley twist legs and stretcher. Crafted from oak in the grand Louis XIII style fronted by a large 27 inch...Category
Antique 19th Century French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsOak
- Fine circa 1800 Pollad Oak Writing Bureau Desk Claw & Ball Hand Carved LegsLocated in GBWe are delighted to offer for sale this absolutely exquisite circa 1800 English made Pollard oak writing bureau with ornately hand carved claw & bal...Category
Antique Early 1800s English George III Desks
MaterialsOak
- Jean Prouvé, Bureau "Surveillant" Bois Métal Laqué Et Plateau Formica Noir 50'sBy Jean ProuvéLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRjean Prouvé (1901-1984, France) : Bureau " Surveillant" Rare modèle du bureau "surveillant : structure des pieds à section carré en métal laqué noir, caisson bois plaqué et plate...Category
Vintage 1950s French Modern Desks
MaterialsMetal
- Jacques Adnet Leather and Oak Desk, 1950s FranceBy Jacques AdnetLocated in Los Angeles, CAMonumental Art Deco era desk by French Art Deco Modernist designer Jacques Adnet. Iron frame with 4 posts, inverted u-shaped bases and brass support ...Category
Vintage 1950s French Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass, Iron
- French Bureau Plat or Desk with Gilt Griffin LegsLocated in Atlanta, GAFrench Empire Style Bureau Plat or Desk, France, circa 1950s. Elegant design in black lacquered wood with brass hardware and an inset black leather...Category
Vintage 1950s French Empire Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass, Metal
- 19th Century French Kingwood Writing Desk Bureau PlatLocated in Essex, MA19th century French kingwood Bureau plat writing desk. Beautiful Louis XV Form. Lacquered Bronze Mounts are original. Grand proportion. Embossed Plum leather.Category
Antique 19th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBronze