Demountable houses and rarely-seen furniture by French modernist Jean Prouvé feature in a new book by Galerie Patrick Seguin. Below, the authors share 10 of his most important projects.
Jean Prouvé: From Furniture to Architecture chronicles the personal collection of gallerists Laurence and Patrick Seguin alongside previously unpublished archive drawings that offer an insight into Prouvé’s rational, functional approach.
The bilingual compendium, printed in English and French, features seminal Prouvé products and prototypes including the Métropole chair, the 1930 Cité armchair and demountable houses built using innovative prefabricated construction methods.
Book shares “a more personal perspective” on Prouvé’s work
The Seguins began purchasing works by Prouvé in the late 1980s and were immediately attracted by his “constructional philosophy”, which saw him develop a wide range of simple and robust products based on the principles of early mass production.
Since then, the gallerists have amassed one of the world’s leading Prouvé collections, including 24 different chair models and nine demountable buildings, including a version adapted by Richard Rogers.
Dotted across their compound in the south of France, these buildings now serve as the couple’s gym, library and tea house.
“We felt it was the right moment to share a more personal perspective on Jean Prouvé’s work – one shaped by over 30 years of collecting, living with and showing his creations,” Patrick Seguin told Dezeen.
“This new book is a tribute to his visionary talent, seen through the lens of our private collection.”
The publication is an expanded edition of a book published in 2013 by Galerie Patrick Seguin for an exhibition organised in partnership with the Pinacoteca Agnelli museum in Turin.
It contains contemporary photographs accompanied by archival documents and provides a cohesive overview of work produced by Prouvé over more than three decades.
Read on for 10 highlights from Jean Prouvé: From Furniture to Architecture.
Cité armchair, 1930
“Designed by Jean Prouvé in 1930, the Cité armchair was the first model to be produced in series by the Ateliers Jean Prouvé.
“This armchair is part of the set of furniture, which has become emblematic and iconic, that Jean Prouvé designed for one of his very first commissions – the student rooms of the Cité Universitaire Montbois in Nancy, his hometown.
“Remarkably modern for its time, this comfortable and elegant armchair is notable for its U-shaped metal frame, ensuring strength and stability.”
Saint-Brévin table, 1939
“This dining table is an extraordinary piece from the very beginning of Prouvé’s career, dating back to 1939. It was designed to furnish the Saint-Brévin-l’Océan holiday camp by architects J. and M. André.
“Drawing inspiration from an earlier refectory table model, the design features four bent steel legs connected by a welded tubular frame. What makes this table special is Prouvé’s adaptation to the specific climatic conditions, particularly humidity: all metal parts are galvanized and the tabletop is made from fibrated Granipoli cement mounted with special brass screws.
“The visible square-tube frame is reinforced by bent sheet crosspieces at each end, one of them fitted with tubular napkin holders. Combining functionality and aesthetics, this table is a perfect example of Jean Prouvé’s visionary and pragmatic approach to design.”
F 8×8 BCC demountable house, 1941
“Produced in very limited numbers between 1941 and 1943, the F 8×8 BCC house, designed by Jean Prouvé and Pierre Jeanneret, showcases an ‘all-wood’ architecture.
“It’s the result of a powerful collaboration. The constructor and the architect rivalled in ingenuity to create light, demountable architecture in extreme wartime conditions, using metal only for bracing, assembly pieces and hardware.
“Based on the axial portal frame construction system patented by Jean Prouvé in 1939, along with studies on housing conducted by Le Corbusier in the 1920s, Pierre Jeanneret designed a fluid, family-oriented way of living.”
6×6 demountable house, 1944
“Designed at the end of world war two, the 6×6 demountable house is a historic architectural piece.
“Created to provide temporary housing for the homeless in eastern France, these pavilions were made up of light, prefabricated components of metal and wood. Steel, subject to strict quotas at the time, was reserved for the bent steel skeleton, into which standardised wood panels were inserted.
“It could be assembled in a single day by only two people directly on the sites of destroyed homes and, if need be, demounted and moved elsewhere.
“Prouvé was already thinking prefabrication and mobility. Jean Prouvé chose this constructional principle with a view to its application to definitive rebuilding.”
Croismare school, 1948
“This building is the most imposing central portal frame ever produced by the Ateliers Jean Prouvé and unites in a single project all the fundamental principles of his buildings.
“The professional training center was initiated by glassmaker Paul Daum and carried out by the Glassmakers’ Union.
“The size of the building, the quality of its architectural treatment and the skills of the Ateliers Jean Prouvé captured visitors’ attention as soon as it opened. During a visit to Croismare in June 1949, the minister of reconstruction and urbanism Eugène Claudius-Petit declared: ‘This is it, the modern school’.”
Maxéville design office, 1948
“This version of the 8×12 demountable house was conceived as a demonstration model intended to convince the public of the virtues of prefabricated housing. The use of a structural axial portal provides an open, fluid plan, rendered highly adaptable by interchangeable partitions and one-piece glazed or solid facing panels.
“Originally commissioned as a prototype for the reconstruction, the house failed to find the success that had been hoped for. One of the few that was actually made was ultimately set up in 1952 at the Maxéville plant, where it became the Ateliers Jean Prouvé Design Office.
“This project marked a significant moment, symbolising the new direction Prouvé sought for the company by entering the mass production market, generated by France’s enormous need for infrastructure and housing after the war.”
Visiteur No. 352 armchair, 1949
“The Visiteur No. 352 armchair, developed by Jean Prouvé in 1949, was designed for use in overseas climates. It featured a seat and backrest in reinforced aluminium sheeting, supported by tubular rods and wood sides, with additional wooden details such as armrests and protective feet.
“Part of a broader evolution of the Visiteur series, the No. 352 exemplified Prouvé’s ongoing efforts to refine weight, durability and stability across varied contexts.
“Produced over more than fifteen years, the Visiteur armchair model saw numerous variations – from emergency furnishings to tropical versions – all grounded in Prouvé’s commitment to efficient, adaptable construction.”
Métropole No. 305 chair, ca. 1950
“The Métropole chair, dated 1950, represents the culmination of Prouvé’s visionary approach, merging lightness and durability in a form that had already been explored as early as 1934. This model stands as the refined outcome of a long-standing formal and technical pursuit.
“The chair’s legs, as well as the axial portal frames of his demountable architecture, are hollow shapes. As Prouvé said, there’s no difference between building a piece of furniture and building a piece of architecture.
“By bending a steel sheet to form a hollow shape, he created a chair that is both robust and light. Originally intended for universities and public institutions, the Métropole No. 305 chair quickly became a reference in modern furniture design.
“With its clear lines and industrial spirit, it remains a symbol of postwar innovation and a lasting icon of 20th-century design.”
S.A.M. Tropique No. 503 table, 1951
“This rare dining table features an aluminium tabletop, blending practicality with a minimalist aesthetic. Crafted from lightweight aluminium, it’s designed to be shipped overseas, flat in a cargo plane.
“Fully demountable, this piece showcases the success of the constructor’s exploration of convertibility and mobility concepts for export. Its central support with four inclined legs, designed for user comfort, gives it an almost sculptural dimension.”
Centrale table, 1956
“The Centrale Table by Jean Prouvé is one of my favourite pieces. Designed to furnish the student restaurant of the Cité Universitaire in Antony, it features a base that evokes the shape of airplane wings, giving a modern and dynamic feel.
“Prouvé came up with the idea for the trapezoidal bent-steel base in the 1930s, originally for lecture hall chairs. He later adapted it around 1950 for a desk, then used a similar base for a large conference table – the Centrale table.
“This table is supported by bent steel legs fitted with inverted cup feet and a central beam, holding the brackets for the tabletop. There’s a perfect balance in its proportions. The simplicity of its lines, combined with that structural grace and unique history really makes it a timeless piece.”
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