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Lot Essay
The present lot was prominently displayed in Jean Royère’s last show, held from January 29th to February 20th at the Hotel de Sens (Bibliothèque Forney) in Paris. The exhibition, called ‘Décors Insolites chez Tristan de Salazar’, a reference to the Archbishop who rebuilt the Hotel de Sens at the turn of the sixteenth century, brought together twelve leading interior designers of the 1960s, around the theme of wallpapers.
Designers such as Raphael, Jansen, and Royère revisited the interiors of the guard room, the oratory, and the private bedroom of Isabelle II of Spain to show the potential of both traditional and modern wall papers, which completely covered parts of certain rooms from floor to ceiling. The exhibition was a great success, attracting over 12,000 visitors in less than a month.
Titled ‘Salon au 50eme etage d’un immeuble de Manhattan a New York’, (Living room at the 50th floor of a Manhattan apartment in New York), Jean Royère’s interior was “deliberately very simple,” and featured his most iconic creations, such as a Polar Bear suite and a free-form low table. Referred to as ‘Flaque’ in the contemporary literature but also called ‘Cachalot’, this low table is positioned on a carpet that in a way that emphasizes the fluid form of the top. One of the feet is hollow, hosting a plant whose leaves echo the naturalistic inspiration of the marquetry.
In one of Paris’ oldest buildings, Royère displayed his vision of one of the most modern ways of living in the 1960s: a top floor apartment in a skyscraper in Manhattan. With its bold, comfortable shapes, new materials and bright colors, Royère’s last exhibition encapsulates his creative and novel approach to design, a free and whimsical style so representative of the joyful spirit of the mid-century.
Designers such as Raphael, Jansen, and Royère revisited the interiors of the guard room, the oratory, and the private bedroom of Isabelle II of Spain to show the potential of both traditional and modern wall papers, which completely covered parts of certain rooms from floor to ceiling. The exhibition was a great success, attracting over 12,000 visitors in less than a month.
Titled ‘Salon au 50eme etage d’un immeuble de Manhattan a New York’, (Living room at the 50th floor of a Manhattan apartment in New York), Jean Royère’s interior was “deliberately very simple,” and featured his most iconic creations, such as a Polar Bear suite and a free-form low table. Referred to as ‘Flaque’ in the contemporary literature but also called ‘Cachalot’, this low table is positioned on a carpet that in a way that emphasizes the fluid form of the top. One of the feet is hollow, hosting a plant whose leaves echo the naturalistic inspiration of the marquetry.
In one of Paris’ oldest buildings, Royère displayed his vision of one of the most modern ways of living in the 1960s: a top floor apartment in a skyscraper in Manhattan. With its bold, comfortable shapes, new materials and bright colors, Royère’s last exhibition encapsulates his creative and novel approach to design, a free and whimsical style so representative of the joyful spirit of the mid-century.