JEAN DUNAND (1877-1942)

Michel Roux-Spitz, renowned architect from Lyon, who was awarded in 1920 the prestigious Prix de Rome, conceived between 1925 and 1928 a building at 14, rue Guynemer in the 6ème arrondissement, a few steps away from the Quartier Latin. Now classified as a national heritage site, it is the first of his ‘white series’, which inscribes itself in the Art Deco movement, while taking the path of modernity.
These two exceptional pairs of sliding doors were commissioned from Jean Dunand circa 1929 to integrate perfectly into a duplex on the 6th and 7th floor of this building. The double-faced unique pieces, measuring more than a hundred inches high, can be seen as an interior landscape, resonating with the unrivaled view offered by the characteristic bow windows on the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Panthéon. The pairs epitomize Dunand’s virtuosity with lacquer : one face, presenting geometrical shapes, is realized with the laque arrachée technique, giving a tactile impression of relief, whilst the other is defined by the depth of its amber nuances, contrasting with dark stylized flowers. Remaining untouched in the same apartment for more than ninety years, these doors constitute an invaluable testimony of Jean Dunand’s work.