Rare Armchair, circa 1938

Details

RENÉ COULON (1882–1974)
Rare Armchair, circa 1938
produced by the Glacerie Saint-Gobain, France
each panel etched with Glace Sécurit
tempered glass, original coated canvas upholstery
29 ½ in. (74.9 cm.) high, 28 ½ in. (72.4 cm.) wide, 26 ½ in. (67.3 cm.) deep

Provenance

Private Collection, France, acquired from the artist's family
Galerie Chastel-Maréchal, Paris
Private Collection, New York
Phillips New York, Design, 11 June 2013, lot 39
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Literature

Verre & Miroir, autour de 1937, J. Adnet, R. Coulon, S. Roeke, M. Ingrand..., exhibition catalogue, Galerie Aline Chastel et Laurent Maréchal, Paris, 2002, front cover for the present lot illustrated
Y. Brunhammer, Le Mobilier Français: 1930-1960, Paris, 1997, front cover, p. 82 for a closely related model
M. Hamon, C. Mathieu, Saint-Gobain 1665-1937: Une entreprise devant l'histoire, exhibition catalogue, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 2006, p. 173 for the model in the Saint-Gobain pavilion at the Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1937, p. 174

Special Notice

Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.

Lot Essay

The collaboration between René Coulon and the Saint-Gobain glassworks developed as a result of the latter's exploration of the use of glass in architecture in 1937 with the construction of the Saint-Gobain Pavillon, a steel and glass structure raised from concrete foundations, at the Exposition Universelle, Paris. To furnish the interior of the Pavillon, Coulon designed a series of avant-gard yet resilient furnishings created from curved and tempered glass.

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