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How Marcel Breuer made design waves with steel tubes and plywood How Marcel Breuer made design waves with steel tubes and plywood
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His name may not be well-known outside the world of design, though his furniture – from sunloungers to nesting tables – has become iconic.His name may not be well-known outside the world of design, though his furniture – from sunloungers to nesting tables – has become iconic.
Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) was a Hungarian-born architect who built the Whitney Museum in New York and, with Bernard Zehrfuss (1911-1996) and Pier Luigi Nervi (1891-1979), the Unesco headquarters in Paris. But he was more than that – he was a designer whose industrial furniture made of steel tubes, aluminium or moulded plywood have become modern classics, and greatly sought after.Marcel Breuer (1902-1981) was a Hungarian-born architect who built the Whitney Museum in New York and, with Bernard Zehrfuss (1911-1996) and Pier Luigi Nervi (1891-1979), the Unesco headquarters in Paris. But he was more than that – he was a designer whose industrial furniture made of steel tubes, aluminium or moulded plywood have become modern classics, and greatly sought after.
Every year, while young designers exhibit their works at the international Design Parade festival at Villa Noailles in Hyères, in the Var department of France, the Villa's permanent exhibition (Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles: a life of patronage) showcases the works of an artist the couple supported. This year it is devoted to Breuer.Every year, while young designers exhibit their works at the international Design Parade festival at Villa Noailles in Hyères, in the Var department of France, the Villa's permanent exhibition (Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles: a life of patronage) showcases the works of an artist the couple supported. This year it is devoted to Breuer.
The show, called Sun and Shadow, after the book Breuer published in 1955, brings together some 30 items of furniture and documents from public and private collections around Europe to explore the many facets of his work. Breuer's designs can certainly turn heads: take, for instance, the famous B3 chair, which Breuer designed in 1925. It was renamed Wassily in 1960 as a tribute to Kandinsky, and is still produced today by American furniture company Knoll.The show, called Sun and Shadow, after the book Breuer published in 1955, brings together some 30 items of furniture and documents from public and private collections around Europe to explore the many facets of his work. Breuer's designs can certainly turn heads: take, for instance, the famous B3 chair, which Breuer designed in 1925. It was renamed Wassily in 1960 as a tribute to Kandinsky, and is still produced today by American furniture company Knoll.
This exhibition is a logical sequence to a series of Breuer retrospectives being held this year, such as a joint one by the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany and the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris. At the Salone del Mobile in Milan, Knoll has pursued Breuer's heritage by reworking some of his best-known items in new materials, including raw linen.This exhibition is a logical sequence to a series of Breuer retrospectives being held this year, such as a joint one by the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany and the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris. At the Salone del Mobile in Milan, Knoll has pursued Breuer's heritage by reworking some of his best-known items in new materials, including raw linen.
As if to echo its title, the Hyères exhibition is spread over two different locations: the light-filled Villa perched on the hillside and in the darker Tour des Templiers in the old town.As if to echo its title, the Hyères exhibition is spread over two different locations: the light-filled Villa perched on the hillside and in the darker Tour des Templiers in the old town.
Breuer never frequented the Villa in his lifetime, but the De Noailles couple played host to many avant-garde artists, including Alberto Giacometti, Luis Buñuel, Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali, and Man Ray. Still, his furniture decorated this "interesting little house to live in" as early as 1927. The De Noailles ordered it from the Villa's architect, Robert Mallet-Stevens. He may even have suggested it to them, for Mallet-Stevens had discovered Breuer's works in Dessau, Germany, in 1925 at the inauguration of the new Bauhaus building. The De Noailles were certainly among the first in France to acquire it.Breuer never frequented the Villa in his lifetime, but the De Noailles couple played host to many avant-garde artists, including Alberto Giacometti, Luis Buñuel, Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali, and Man Ray. Still, his furniture decorated this "interesting little house to live in" as early as 1927. The De Noailles ordered it from the Villa's architect, Robert Mallet-Stevens. He may even have suggested it to them, for Mallet-Stevens had discovered Breuer's works in Dessau, Germany, in 1925 at the inauguration of the new Bauhaus building. The De Noailles were certainly among the first in France to acquire it.
The exhibition transports the visitor back to the 1920s, to a time when guests sat on B11 leather-covered chairs in the Villa's living room, B9 nesting tables stood on the verandas and a B5 chair adorned the boudoir – all by Breuer. It is a great way of encouraging people to rediscover the Villa, which became an art centre in 2003. Breuer's highly modern creations were part of the furnishings until Marie-Laure de Noailles's death in 1970.The exhibition transports the visitor back to the 1920s, to a time when guests sat on B11 leather-covered chairs in the Villa's living room, B9 nesting tables stood on the verandas and a B5 chair adorned the boudoir – all by Breuer. It is a great way of encouraging people to rediscover the Villa, which became an art centre in 2003. Breuer's highly modern creations were part of the furnishings until Marie-Laure de Noailles's death in 1970.
Marcel Breuer Sun and Shadow is at Villa Noailles, Montée Noailles, Hyères, France, until 29 SeptemberMarcel Breuer Sun and Shadow is at Villa Noailles, Montée Noailles, Hyères, France, until 29 September
This article appeared in Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from Le MondeThis article appeared in Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from Le Monde
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