René GABRIEL (1890–1950) - Lot 130

Lot n° 130
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Estimation :
3000 - 5000 EUR
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René GABRIEL (1890–1950) - Lot 130
René GABRIEL (1890–1950) “RG178” Design created around 1950. Pair of stained oak armchairs with an openwork slatted frame resting on a wide rectangular base that tapers to four compass-shaped legs. Lieuvin Editions. Cushions upholstered in cream loopback fabric. Height: 84.5 cm (without cushions) Width: 64 cm Depth: 89 cm Bibliography: - Catalog of the exhibition “Mobi-Boom: The Design Boom in France, 1945–1975,” Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 2010; drawing of the sofa reproduced on p. 52 - Patrick Favardin, “Les décorateurs des Années 50,” Paris, 2002, p. 94 - Anne Bony, “Esprit Meuble Design,” Editions du Regard, Paris, 2013, p. 91 René Gabriel trained at the École Germain-Pilon and then at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris. Beginning in the 1920s, he established himself as a versatile interior designer and creator, working with furniture as well as wallpaper, textiles, and ceramics. His encounter with Francis Jourdain—whose concept of simple, modular, and affordable furniture he adopted—played a decisive role in his development. Beginning in 1927, Gabriel expanded his exploration of mass-produced furniture, notably with the “RG elements,” designed to be placed side by side and stacked. His aesthetic—understated and rational—was part of the renewal of modern French furniture and aligned with the principles of the Union des artistes modernes, though without adopting its most radical positions. In the postwar period, he played a major role in furniture design for the Reconstruction effort, designing affordable furniture as early as 1944 for disaster victims and collaborating with Auguste Perret on the interior design of standard apartments in Le Havre. By prioritizing wood, structural simplicity, material efficiency, and mass production, René Gabriel became one of the pioneers of French industrial design and exerted a significant influence on the generation of Marcel Gascoin, Pierre Guariche, and Jacques Hitier.
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