Set of six Amsterdam Chairs by Pierre Guariche, Circa 1954

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About the Item

Rare set of six “Amsterdam” chairs by Pierre Guariche for Steiner circa 1954.

Black lacquered tubular metal base and plywood shell seat (black lacquered) and seat dressed in red leatherette.

Good general condition.

Manufacturer: Steiner, circa 1954

Literature:
– Patrick Favardin, Steiner et l’aventure du design, Norma, 2007, p. 55.
– Catalogue de l’exposition Mobi Boom, Muse des Arts Dcoratifs, 2010, p. 261.
– Patrick Favardin, Les dcorateurs des annes 50, Norma, 2002, p. 224.Creator: Pierre Guariche (Designer)Dimensions: Height: 19.69 in (50 cm)Width: 29.93 in (76 cm)Depth: 18.12 in (46 cm)Style: Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)Materials and Techniques: Faux Leather,Metal,PlywoodPlace of Origin: FrancePeriod: Mid-20th CenturyDate of Manufacture: Circa 1955Condition: GoodWear consistent with age and use. Somes lacks in the faux leather as visible on the pictures.Seller Location: VILLEURBANNE, FRReference Number: Seller: 69341stDibs: LU8469243445752Shop All Pierre Guariche

Pierre Guariche

The architect Pierre Guariche was one of the leading modern furniture and lighting designers of postwar France. Guariche can, in some ways, be thought of as the French version of Charles Eames: with his lean and angular chairs and slender, sculptural table lamps, he helped introduce a new aesthetic to the countrys interiors and he was an eager pioneer in the use of new industrial materials and production techniques that emerged in the 1950s.

Guariche studied at the cole Nationale Suprieure des Arts Dcoratifs in Paris (the national design academy) under Ren Gabriel a designer known for his quality, mass-produced furnishings, who served as a director of the postwar Ministry of Reconstruction. Two years after graduating in 1949, Guariche opened his own design firm, and he was soon creating pieces for numerous companies, including the lighting manufacturer Disderot.

Wood and metal were rationed in the years following the war and Guariche learned to do more with less. His chairs of the early 1950s include several designs with narrow, softly angular wooden frames; others, like the Tonneau chair, feature a single piece of molded plywood set atop metal legs. His lamps of the period are likely his best-known works. They include delicate compositions of slender steel tubes, and more flamboyant pieces such as the Kite lamp, with its curved metal reflector panel.

Always on the lookout for new materials, Guariche spent several years in the mid-1950s operating a firm making furniture in fiberglass and other plastics, along with Joseph Andr Motte and others. After 1957 when Guariche was named head of design for the Belgian company Meurop and given a brief to create stylish, up-to-date chairs and cabinets he began to look to America for ideas.

In the mid-1960s, Guariche produced several lines of deeply upholstered, rounded lounge chairs inspired by the Space Age look, and gave them names like Jupiter, Polaris and Luna. While Guariche always kept pace with his times, throughout his career he showed a consistent talent for producing elegant, eye-catching forms using a minimum of materials.

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