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Lot 11
JEAN ROYÈRE (1902-1981)
Pair of 'Sculpture' Armchairs, circa 1955
Closed26 May 2021
Price Realised
USD 882,000
More Information
JEAN ROYÈRE (1902-1981)
Pair of 'Sculpture' Armchairs, circa 1955
oak, velvet upholstery
one armchair with remnants of plastic label JEAN ROYÈRE
28 ½ x 31 ½ x 32 in. (72.5 x 80 x 81.3 cm) each
Pair of 'Sculpture' Armchairs, circa 1955
oak, velvet upholstery
one armchair with remnants of plastic label JEAN ROYÈRE
28 ½ x 31 ½ x 32 in. (72.5 x 80 x 81.3 cm) each
JEAN ROYÈRE (1902-1981)
Pair of 'Sculpture' Armchairs, circa 1955
oak, velvet upholstery
one armchair with remnants of plastic label JEAN ROYÈRE
28 ½ x 31 ½ x 32 in. (72.5 x 80 x 81.3 cm) each
Pair of 'Sculpture' Armchairs, circa 1955
oak, velvet upholstery
one armchair with remnants of plastic label JEAN ROYÈRE
28 ½ x 31 ½ x 32 in. (72.5 x 80 x 81.3 cm) each
Christie's New York, 8 June 2000, lot 108
Michael Formica, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Michael Formica, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Jean Royère, décorateur à Paris, exh. cat., Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris, 1999, pp. 38, 68, 78, 135, 166
Galerie Jacques Lacoste and Galerie Patrick Seguin, Jean Royère, Paris, 2012, vol. I, pp. 50, 52-55, 114, 274-275; vol. II, pp. 19, 40, 270-273 for the model in the lounge of the Shah of Iran' private cinema,1958
P. E. Martin-Vivier, Jean Royère, Paris, 2017, p. 271
Galerie Jacques Lacoste and Galerie Patrick Seguin, Jean Royère, Paris, 2012, vol. I, pp. 50, 52-55, 114, 274-275; vol. II, pp. 19, 40, 270-273 for the model in the lounge of the Shah of Iran' private cinema,1958
P. E. Martin-Vivier, Jean Royère, Paris, 2017, p. 271
Jean Royère is sanctified as a leading force of mid-century design in France. His bold colors, geometric shapes and luxurious materials have placed him firmly within this canon; however, Royère’s work can be seen as having more influence from Italian or Scandinavian designers than his fellow countrymen. One can reference Finn Juhl’s Pelican chair which debuted at the Cabinetmaker’s Guild in 1940 or Gio Ponti's voluptuously upholstered lounge chairs from his Milan apartment in 1937. Royère saw French Design as stymied by the antique tradition, weighed down by a lack of aesthetic risk-taking, and undermined by infighting amongst the dealers in France. As a response, Royère looked abroad to both market and sell his creations—opening offices in the Middle East and South America in addition to his footprint in France—influencing these regions with a more international style. Royère also gained a great deal of influence from these regions in return. The enigma of Royère stems from the fact that he is universal. His works are a clear realization of his penchant for drawing, making thousands of images per year that keep his designs as close to sculpture and painting as to the problem-solving associated with design. His works, namely the ‘Sculpture’ series, are truly lines drawn into form, sculptures with colorful masses suspended in space by frames rendered in massive wood. The elements that come in contact with the sitter are soft, luxurious and comfortable, accentuated by the dramatic cantilever of the arm profile and the exposed structure that acts as an aesthetic and rigid counterpoint. This expressive and artistic approach is to be seen in concert with Royère’s other sculptural objects in an architectural space, all cohesively arranged as he envisioned. Surprisingly, Royère felt that less was more, not in the purest distillation of material and spatial arrangements of the Bauhaus, but in the quantity of furniture that occupies a space. Today, his works allow for a free-flowing interpretation outside of their bespoke origins, resting comfortably within both minimal and richly layered interiors of the present. This universality of Royère was true at the outset and his creations arc toward the timeless as they are repurposed and used decades after their construction.