Monday, January 17, 2011

The High Priest of Art Deco


Each art or craft has its own High Priests and Priestess’ that are revered and recognised as the best in their respective fields. Haute Couture had Balenciaga and Vionnet and Interior Design and furniture has Emile Jacques Ruhlmann. These are the craftsmen and women by which all others are measured!



Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann basically alone is the man we have to thank for Art Deco as his designs and interiors epitomised for many the glamour the era. He was at the forefront of the transition from the fluidity of Art Nouveau to the geometric simplicity of Art Deco.




In 1919 Ruhlmann founded, the company Ruhlmann et Laurent, specializing in interior design and producing luxury home goods that included furniture, wallpaper and lighting. By this time, Ruhlmann was concentrating on individual pieces of furniture. His designs were executed by highly skilled craftsmen making formal elegant furniture using precious and exotic woods in combination with ivory fittings, giving them a classic, timeless appeal for the extremely wealthy.





Around this time, the French Société des Artistes Décorateurs, founded in 1900, was trying to encourage high standards of design and production in France through its annual exhibitions at the Salon d'Automne. The French government agreed to sponsor an international exhibition of decorative arts to be held in 1915 to further promote France's position in the field. Because of the First World War, this was postponed until 1925 and was called the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, the exhibition that gave Art Deco its name.




Ruhlmann had several pavilions at the exhibition in which he used exotic work from other artists and designers to provide beautiful and opulent settings as showcases for his own furniture. For example, in his Pavilion d'un Collectionneur, an oil painting by Jean Dupas, Les Perruches, of heroic proportions depicting female nudes with parakeets, hung above the fireplace. The pavilion's exterior featured metalwork by Edgar Brandt and a panel by sculptor Joseph Besnard. The centrepiece of the pavilion was a grand piano designed by Ruhlmann and made from such exotic materials as amboyna wood and Macassar ebony.






The thing is that Rhulmann's furniture does not carry the strong and angular geometric shapes that we consider to signify Art Deco. The streamline silhouette he favoured is simple and very elegant. Any decorative accents are meticulously crafted using luxurious and expensive materials, and are very restrained and stylised.




The interiors also display a purer form of Art Deco than what we are used to. Filled with rich colours, gently curved furniture and painted surfaces, these were the forerunners for the interiors which were to become mainstream Art Deco.











He believed that fashion started amongst the rich elite because they were the ones who could afford the costs of experimentation. He further believed that the whole purpose of fashion was for the display of wealth. In fact Ruhlmann claimed that, in spite of the high prices he charged, he lost money on each piece of furniture because of the expensive materials used and the amount of time and effort that went into each piece.



In 1933 Ruhlmann discovered that he was terminally ill. To protect the reputation he had built for his furniture he said in his will that the company was to finish any outstanding orders and then the company was to be dissolved.



Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann's reputation as the supreme furniture designer of the 20th century has survived intact. His furniture which is included in the collections of some of the world’s major museums is testament to this. Timeless in its appeal and the highest form of the craft these are items of furniture to be desired and coveted.

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful pictures!! I really like furniture and decoration..it would be great if we could afford some of the incredible pieces you see in the high end furniture stores...but well someday hehe...Love the post I learned something new and that´s always great!

    Greetings
    Andy

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  2. =================================================================

    Great work Super David !
    You certainely gived a lot of time for it !
    Verrrry inspiring !
    All the pics are ( according to my test of course ) so BEAUTIFUL and so CHIC !

    I'm very lucky cause in my town, Nice ( The French Riviera ), there are a lot of buildings made Art Deco !


    I also wanted to say that Your Royal Presence means a lot to me !
    Thank You so much to BE !

    Have a Magical Week fulls of Gifts at all points of view !


    Your Fashion Designer Friend
    =============================================================

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  3. David, first I would like to say sorry for not being up to visit you lately. I have been completely swept away by crazy schedule demands. :-))) I love coming back to always fantastic posts yuo put up.This post is no different: wonderful and I absolutely love the selection you've posted. Here is the question: do you believe that in modern times rich are stil the ones who start Fashion because they can afford the cost of experiment? I think the roots of it shifted.Luxury, of course, will never be accessible to majority, but costly designs are more afordable now as ever before!
    P.S. I will e-mail you by the end of today!:-)

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  4. This is a wonderful blog and I love all the pictures. Art Nouveau is my favorite form of art and it influences my own work - but Art Deco furniture and architecture really appeal to me.

    Thank you very much for sharing these with us.
    - Chaz -
    -----------------
    My Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Avarra
    My Portfolio: www.ChazKemp.com
    My Blog: http://chaznouveau.blogspot.com/
    My Band: http://pandoraceltica.bandvista.com/

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  5. It's amazing how much the Classics still inspire. I can see so many classical elements in the sculpture and architecture. My Mom is a regular writer on my blog and has been taking fashion history classes. Check out her latest post on the history of shoes!!

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  6. Andy, how I wish that I could afford just to have one piece of wonderfully expensive furniture. I am glad that you have learnt something!

    Jean-Pierre, thankyou! Yes it took me some time to get this post just right! One day I will have to visit Nice!

    Anya, Rhulmann had some lofty ideals, and I find now that it is not the rich that dictate fashion, but the street, as YSL tried to do so early on at Dior in the early 60's. And as you say good design is now accessible to all.

    Chaz, many thanks for your visit. Both Art Nouveau and Deco are two of my favourites. I had a quick look at your art and I love your drawings!

    Anthea, the classics are always inspiring me! will check out your mum's shoe post

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  7. Iconic David!
    If not mistaken Barbara Streisand used to own a few of Ruhlmann pieces & later auctioned them!

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  8. Thanks for sharing interesting information and such great images. Ruhlmann's work is timeless, and your choice of images certainly confirms that. I'd love to have that chair! ...Mark

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  9. The first table would be a great addition to any space! I am a big Art Deco fan and definitely enjoyed your in-depth post. Thank you!

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  10. David wonderful examples!! Adore Art Deco. That vanity and chair are superb!!

    Xoxo
    Karena

    Art by Karena

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  11. Thanks for the compliment David! I look forward to your next blog. :)

    - Chaz -
    -----------------
    My Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Avarra
    My Portfolio: www.ChazKemp.com
    My Blog: http://chaznouveau.blogspot.com/
    My Band: http://pandoraceltica.bandvista.com/

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  12. Thanks David ! Now I've got even more objects of beauty to covet. I yearn endlessly for the cabinet with the floral inlaid design!

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  13. Great post...Ruhlmann has always been my favorite. I have some of his sketches for new furniture pieces framed and hanging in my bathroom. I actually did my final project in Design school based around Ruhlmann. Thanks David!

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  14. The very best French Art Deco is incredible. What an absolutely original style using centuries old skills and noble materials favoured by skilled artisans and designers. The pavilion is exquisite and the images a pleasure to view. Aren't we lucky to have our Eaton's College Street in superb French Art Deco? How incredibly chic it must have seemed to unuassuming Canadians when it opened at the beginning of the 1930s.

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  15. Art Deco furniture is the epitome of sexy! Glamorous mirrors, glossy woods, slick metal finishes, lush leathers, jewel tones and exotic embellishments are all characteristic of art deco style furniture.

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