architects are complex beings. Necessarily ambitious, or megalos, capable of moving mountains to build other. However, next to large-scale projects, some of the most famous, have also tried to design furniture and light fixtures. Most often without any connection with their building projects. «Until the Second world War, many architects were given by their sponsors with a mission encompassing the furniture. It is the idea of the Bauhaus», tell the commissioners Lionel Blaisse and Claire Fayolle. But then, their efforts are focused on the reconstruction, up to the euphoria of the sixties.
» READ ALSO – The tower, a new art of living together
This is the starting point of the presentation, which is spread in the vast maze of the City – hall of the casts to that of paints, and allows to (re)discover the astounding wealth. It is through the library area to confrontrer the brutalism of Claude Parent, cantor of the function oblique, which develops steel structures like this library pyramidal stairs. In this period, many architects rebelled against the academism. They explore the radicalism, postmodernism, the deconstruction and, later, sustainable development or digital. The the most startling pieces strung together. This tower-library of methacrylate transparent neon green of Jakob+Macfarlane (the authors of the Docks, Thirteenth century), the spectacular bench Iceberg of Zaha Hadid edited by the duo of genius Sawaya & Moroni.
through The rooms, we see that the very connoisseur Lionel Blaisse is used to select parts of both iconic but also objects that are more radical like the armchair in iron wire English Daniel Widrig, exhibited next to the Eiffel Tower, that watches through the windows as a lookout. «Widrig, born in 1977, is a researcher who explores new digital forms of architecture and design», says Blaisse, who was also keen to highlight the essential creation Italian. «After the war, architects from italy – who have practically been deprived of the building are dedicated to the design.» Alessandro Mendini, which we admire this majestic sofa Kandissi and its colorful wooden structure, exploring new geometric shapes. Japan, Scandinavia, Brazil feed abundantly this very clever ride through the furniture-carving up the cookware Alessi, where the functionality is never missed. By this exercise of style, the archistars reveal themselves more intimately.
The Furniture of architects, 1960-2020, Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, 1, place du Trocadéro (Xvi). Until 30 September.