With all the excitement surrounding today’s digital manufacturing technologies, it is interesting to look at an earlier historical moment of workshop mass-production, as practiced by the great French architect and designer Jean Prouvé (1901–1984). This exhibition examines Prouvé’s collaborations within his Ateliers Jean Prouvé from idea to finished product. Equipped with a skilled creative team and the most advanced manufacturing technologies available, the Ateliers were laboratories where ideas were continuously refined and adapted to produce furnishings and prefabricated buildings on an industrial scale. The installation focuses on the evolution of the “Standard” Chair and includes other examples of furniture and buildings that demonstrate Prouvé’s approach to construction and his sensitive handling of materials—particularly his inventive applications of sheet metal.
Organized by Christian Larsen, Curatorial Assistant, Research and Collections, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art; with Max Risselada, professor, Technical University Delft, the Netherlands.
