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Lot Essay
“Copper is too fragile, aluminum too light, gold too symbolic, silver too weak, bronze is out of fashion, and platinum inaccessible. The exchanges with them don’t work. You can always polish and re-polish. Steel resists and is unforgiving. If what you do to it doesn’t work, you can’t hide it. The work immediately reveals its flaws. Nothing is more beautiful than steel” – Maria Pergay
Known for her minimalist furniture designs in stainless steel, Maria Pergay drew inspiration from the innate nature of her materials employed. The artists ability to juxtapose the austere structural material of steel into an elegant, sensuous and exquisite object with movement and fluidity made her a pioneer in the field of modern design.
Maria Pergay began her career designing iron and silver objects for leading luxury brands, including Hermes and Dior. Pergay’s career grew as she forged relationships with local craftsmen and in 1967 the French steelmaker Ugine-Gueugnon asked her to use its product, Uginox, the company’s brand of stainless steel to cultivate interest in using the material for interior design and decoration. The invitation afforded her the opportunity to transition from making small objects of virtue to larger scale furniture and decoration. The ‘Flying Carpet’ daybed, as exemplified in the current lot, was the first piece Pergay designed using the Uginox material, followed by the ‘Ring’ chair and the ‘Wave’ desk. With the use of stainless steel of the required extra thickness for designs that needed bending and cutting while maintaining perfect finishes, she was pushing the boundaries of steel production for design purposes at the time.
Known for her minimalist furniture designs in stainless steel, Maria Pergay drew inspiration from the innate nature of her materials employed. The artists ability to juxtapose the austere structural material of steel into an elegant, sensuous and exquisite object with movement and fluidity made her a pioneer in the field of modern design.
Maria Pergay began her career designing iron and silver objects for leading luxury brands, including Hermes and Dior. Pergay’s career grew as she forged relationships with local craftsmen and in 1967 the French steelmaker Ugine-Gueugnon asked her to use its product, Uginox, the company’s brand of stainless steel to cultivate interest in using the material for interior design and decoration. The invitation afforded her the opportunity to transition from making small objects of virtue to larger scale furniture and decoration. The ‘Flying Carpet’ daybed, as exemplified in the current lot, was the first piece Pergay designed using the Uginox material, followed by the ‘Ring’ chair and the ‘Wave’ desk. With the use of stainless steel of the required extra thickness for designs that needed bending and cutting while maintaining perfect finishes, she was pushing the boundaries of steel production for design purposes at the time.