Portrait: Pierre Paulin 1/2

Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) was one of the greatest French designers of the post-war period. He is, without doubt, the equal of Jean Prouvé and is probably the best-known French designer today, along with Philippe Starck. Little known to the general public in French during his lifetime, like Roger Tallon Roger Tallon , the father of French industrial design, he was celebrated abroad from the 1960s onwards, recognised by his American and Scandinavian peers. Like many of the great designers of his time, he was a jack-of-all-trades: from handcrafted furniture to total design and interior design. To delve into the world of Pierre Paulin is to revisit 50 years of design, marked by chairs that have become icons of modern and contemporary design. It's also a chance to revisit the history of places of power in France. [caption id="attachment8365" align="aligncenter" width="229"] Pierre Paulin, portrait[/caption] Pierre Paulin grew up in a privileged family environment. Above all, he admired the work of his uncle Georges Paulin, a styling engineer for Peugeot, Rolls-Royce and Bentley. A pupil who was not suited to the school system, he finally entered the Centre d'art et de techniques in 1947, a school that would become the Camondo School in Paris in 1967. In the early 1950s, he began looking for publishers capable of bringing his projects to life. 1950 - 1970: the emergence of an exceptional designer 1950 - 1970: the emergence of an exceptional designer 1950 - 1970: the emergence of an exceptional designer And it was the famous publishing house Thonet Thonet that gave him his first real chance. Following in the footsteps of American publishers Knoll and Herman Miller, who marketed interior furniture ranges, Paulin developed a range of office chairs and group furniture for Thonet. Among the pieces that were already making a name for themselves at the time were the Fauteuil CM137 dit Coquille (1953) Fauteuil CM137 dit Coquille (1953) , and the Fauteuil CM170 dit Tripode cage (1955) Fauteuil CM170 dit Tripode cage (1955) . Paulin was already expressing a pronounced taste for rounded and curved shapes that reflected a certain search for comfort. [caption id="attachment8366" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pierre Paulin, Recliner CM137, circa 1953. Publisher: Thonet France[/caption] [caption id="attachment8367*" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pierre Paulin, Cage armchair CM170, 1955. Publisher: Thonet France[/caption] But it was Artifort, the furniture publishing house based in Maastricht (Netherlands), that enabled Pierre Paulin to quickly achieve international renown by creating chairs that have since become icons of contemporary furniture. From 1960 to 1970, Pierre Paulin, having learned his trade at Thonet and from his contemporaries - he had an unfailing admiration for the Eames couple - was ready to develop more personal designs that would become his signature, based on his own research at the time. In 1960, he created Armchair n°560, known as the Mushroom Armchair n°560, known as the Mushroom, for Artifort because of its shape. Of all the chairs he created, it was Pierre Paulin's favourite, and he said it was the best he had made "economically, mechanically and financially". Elegant and rounded, with the idea of a cocoon for the person sitting in it, the Fauteuil Mushroom Fauteuil Mushroom has become a timeless piece of contemporary design. [caption id="attachment8369" align="aligncenter" width="464"] Pierre Paulin, F560 Mushroom armchair[/caption] [caption id="attachment8371" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Artifort blue Mushroom armchair, Pierre PAULIN - 1960 | on sale at design-market.en Artifort blue "Mushroom" armchair, Pierre PAULIN - 1960 | on sale at design-market.fr [/caption] The Mushroom Mushroom represents a technical achievement for Pierre Paulin. From his earliest collaborations with Thonet, he had been researching ways of covering his creations with stretch fabric. The idea behind the project was to cover the metal structure of the seat with foam and then slip a seamless cover over it, rather like a swimming costume. This is a new manufacturing process that revolutionises seat design. No longer do you need nails to fix the fabric, the seat 'slips on' a new skin. Harry Wagemans, Artifort's CEO, went to Norway to find the right fabric for the covers, which were made from jersey. At the height of the Pop Art period, Paulin was able to play with the colours that were in vogue at the time. The jersey covers were easy to remove and wash, and could be changed at will. Above all, he created a piece of furniture that required very little in the way of resources. All that's needed for the structure are three steel rounds, linked together by four rods. It was a success for the man who wanted to democratise design and make it affordable. Subsequently, Paulin continued to design his chairs on the basis of a monobloc shape that lightened the structure. In 1966, Artifort presented the Ribbon Chair Ribbon Chair , a seat in the shape of a folded ribbon. Once again, over the polyurethane foam, the stretch jersey fabric moulds the seat perfectly to create a unique and sensual piece. A year later, Paulin, a lover of shapes, created the Tongue Chair Tongue Chair Tongue Chair , also known as model no. 577 model no. 577 . At the height of the Sixties, the piece was emblematic of those years, which saw a new, hedonistic way of life. A supple, fluid and colourful line, in tune with the times. And what about the Orange Slice Orange Slice , designed in 1960? A timeless shape that changes shape depending on how you look at it! [caption id="attachment8372*" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Artifort "Ruban" armchair and red ottoman, Pierre PAULIN - 1960 |On sale at design-market.en Fauteuil Artifort "Ruban" et ottoman rouges, Pierre PAULIN - 1960 |En vente sur design-market.fr [/caption] [caption id="attachment_8373" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Fauteuil Tongue "F577", Pierre PAULIN - 1960 | En vente sur design-market.fr Fauteuil Tongue "F577", Pierre PAULIN - 1960 | On sale at design-market.fr [/caption] Read the second part of this article: After 1970: a new dimension in his work After 1970: a new dimension in his work Written by François Boutard Written by François Boutard Written by François Boutard

Portrait: Pierre Paulin 1/2

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