Maxéville Design Office, 1948
In 1947 Jean Prouvé moved his workshop to Maxéville, a suburb outside of Nancy in eastern France, and his company became a hotbed of innovative constructional thinking in France. Technicians, draftsmen and laborers worked together in an ambience of mutual respect. Strategically placed opposite Prouvé’s office at the entrance to the Maxéville plant, the design office was where the Ateliers Jean Prouvé prototypes were honed with series in mind. It symbolized the new thrust Prouvé wanted to give the company by entering the mass production market generated by France’s enormous need for infrastructure and housing after the War. This version of the 10×12 meter demountable house with a 2×12 meter canopy was originally produced in 1948 as a prototype for the reconstruction after the War. Intended as a demonstration model that would convince the public of the virtues of prefabricated housing, this was a copybook model: the use of structural axial portal provides an open, fluid plan rendered highly adaptable by interchangeable partitions and one-piece glazed or solid facing panels. Since the house failed to find the success that had been hoped for, its prototype was ultimately set up in 1952 at the Maxéville plant.
CNN STYLE – ARCHITECTURE – JUNE 13, 2013
DESIGN MIAMI/ BASEL 2016
From June 13 to June 19 at DesignMiami/ Basel, Galerie Patrick Seguin is happy to present for the first time the « Bureau d’études Maxéville», 1948 by Jean Prouvé, which remained on the historic site of Ateliers Jean Prouve’ in Maxeville in eastern France until it was dismounted in 2015.
OPENING “PIÈCES-MEUBLÉS” JUNE 2 FROM 5-8 PM
June 2 – July 23, 2016 – Galerie Patrick Seguin, Paris is pleased to announce the opening of Pièces-Meublés, an exhibition organized by Bob Nickas which brings together furniture and architecture by Jean Prouvé and works by twenty-three contemporary artists.
Included are: David Adamo, John M Armleder, Richard Artschwager, Nathaniel Axel, Walead Beshty, Carol Bove, Elaine Cameron-Weir, Alex Da Corte, Ryan Foerster, Louise Lawler, David Malek, Adam McEwen, John Miller, Albert Oehlen, Virginia Overton, Mai-Thu Perret, Nicolas Roggy, Ben Schumacher, Haim Steinbach, Rudolf Stingel, Andra Ursuta, Kelley Walker, and Franz West.