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Lot Essay
Designing a New Style
“To create something that lasts, the first thing is to want to create something that lasts forever”
- Emile-Jacque Ruhlmann
At the turn of the twentieth century, French designers sought a new style for interiors. Designers at the time experimented with new forms and materials in search of modernity. In 1912, the French Chamber of Deputies voted to hold a major international exhibition, proposed to elevate the reputation of French decorative arts. However, World War I and its aftermath postponed the exhibition for over ten years, until 1925. Finally in 1925, the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes opened to a roaring success. Designers such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Pierre Chareau, and Edgar Brandt’s exhibitions displayed symmetrical and geometric designs adorned with luxe materials and superb artistry in a way never seen before. Ushering in the new Art Deco style, named after the exhibition itself, French designers finally found a fresh style, albeit rooted in classicism.
The year 1925 is often referenced as the height of Ruhlmann’s success. During the exhibition, he debuted many of is now iconic design in the Hôtel du Collectionneur and the ‘Ambassade Française.’ A group of French designers collaborated on ‘L’Ambassade Française,’ organized by the Society of Decorative Artists. Consisting of twenty-four rooms in the modern style, artists designed a fictitious residence for the French ambassador. Ruhlmann exhibited a related carpet alongside other recognizable designs such as the aptly named ‘Ambassade’ desk. The carpet in the exhibition was square whereas other known examples of this carpet, including the present lot, are rectangular. The overall effect felt fresh, new, and timeless, all at once.
For his wallpaper and textiles, Ruhlmann sometimes enlisted the assistance of other designers. For the present lot, he collaborated with French designer Henri Stephany. The result of their collaboration incorporates large swirling lines rooted in a geometric form, quintessentially Art Deco. As Ruhlmann’s clientele expected luxury and excellence, he carefully considered color in his work as well. Also executed in a warmer colorway incorporating shades of reds and pinks, the present lot is an exquisite example of Ruhlmann’s ability to beautifully balance color. Shades of light pink brilliantly harmonize with shades of periwinkle, seafoam green, and dark purple.
Ruhlmann was a detailed designer from the time of his initial sketches through execution. He was known for always carrying a sketch book with him and laboring over his furniture sketches, sometimes taking up to eight years to execute a work from his initial drawing. Ruhlmann experimented with his designs, seeking to achieve an equilibrium in form and proportion in his design, evidenced by the multiple drawings now in the collection of the Musée des Années 30, Boulogne-Billancourt. He sought to create harmonious beauty in his work that could be admired in the overall effect of a completed interior, or as a singular object. Ruhlmann's sketches for his famous Hôtel du Collectionneur for the 1925 Exposition Internationale date back to 1919, showing he spent over five years on the plans. The exposition introduced Ruhlmann and his designs to a wider audience, increasing not just his popularity but also the status of contemporary French design.
This rare and important carpet is an exciting opportunity to acquire an example of Ruhlmann’s superb attention to detail and brilliant use of color. Designed during the height of his career, Ruhlmann designed the carpet for a modern connoisseur. Following the success of the 1925 Exposition Internationale, Ruhlmann’s clients would have enjoyed displaying this carpet as a marker of luxury and taste in their homes, showing their knowledge of the new modern yet timeless style.
“To create something that lasts, the first thing is to want to create something that lasts forever”
- Emile-Jacque Ruhlmann
At the turn of the twentieth century, French designers sought a new style for interiors. Designers at the time experimented with new forms and materials in search of modernity. In 1912, the French Chamber of Deputies voted to hold a major international exhibition, proposed to elevate the reputation of French decorative arts. However, World War I and its aftermath postponed the exhibition for over ten years, until 1925. Finally in 1925, the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes opened to a roaring success. Designers such as Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Pierre Chareau, and Edgar Brandt’s exhibitions displayed symmetrical and geometric designs adorned with luxe materials and superb artistry in a way never seen before. Ushering in the new Art Deco style, named after the exhibition itself, French designers finally found a fresh style, albeit rooted in classicism.
The year 1925 is often referenced as the height of Ruhlmann’s success. During the exhibition, he debuted many of is now iconic design in the Hôtel du Collectionneur and the ‘Ambassade Française.’ A group of French designers collaborated on ‘L’Ambassade Française,’ organized by the Society of Decorative Artists. Consisting of twenty-four rooms in the modern style, artists designed a fictitious residence for the French ambassador. Ruhlmann exhibited a related carpet alongside other recognizable designs such as the aptly named ‘Ambassade’ desk. The carpet in the exhibition was square whereas other known examples of this carpet, including the present lot, are rectangular. The overall effect felt fresh, new, and timeless, all at once.
For his wallpaper and textiles, Ruhlmann sometimes enlisted the assistance of other designers. For the present lot, he collaborated with French designer Henri Stephany. The result of their collaboration incorporates large swirling lines rooted in a geometric form, quintessentially Art Deco. As Ruhlmann’s clientele expected luxury and excellence, he carefully considered color in his work as well. Also executed in a warmer colorway incorporating shades of reds and pinks, the present lot is an exquisite example of Ruhlmann’s ability to beautifully balance color. Shades of light pink brilliantly harmonize with shades of periwinkle, seafoam green, and dark purple.
Ruhlmann was a detailed designer from the time of his initial sketches through execution. He was known for always carrying a sketch book with him and laboring over his furniture sketches, sometimes taking up to eight years to execute a work from his initial drawing. Ruhlmann experimented with his designs, seeking to achieve an equilibrium in form and proportion in his design, evidenced by the multiple drawings now in the collection of the Musée des Années 30, Boulogne-Billancourt. He sought to create harmonious beauty in his work that could be admired in the overall effect of a completed interior, or as a singular object. Ruhlmann's sketches for his famous Hôtel du Collectionneur for the 1925 Exposition Internationale date back to 1919, showing he spent over five years on the plans. The exposition introduced Ruhlmann and his designs to a wider audience, increasing not just his popularity but also the status of contemporary French design.
This rare and important carpet is an exciting opportunity to acquire an example of Ruhlmann’s superb attention to detail and brilliant use of color. Designed during the height of his career, Ruhlmann designed the carpet for a modern connoisseur. Following the success of the 1925 Exposition Internationale, Ruhlmann’s clients would have enjoyed displaying this carpet as a marker of luxury and taste in their homes, showing their knowledge of the new modern yet timeless style.