22 Jul Design: Jean Prouvé: A Testimony to Ingenuity
In 1952, when he was in his early 50s, the French designer Jean Prouvé lost control of his factory, which had once employed more than 200 people, and was fighting to regain ownership of his trading name and patents. Hoping to distract him, Prouvé’s family encouraged him to start a new project: the construction of a house where he would live with his wife, Madeleine, and the two youngest of their six children.
Peeping out between trees, the home, known today as Maison Jean Prouvé, is a model of rationalist ingenuity with tiny bedrooms resembling ship’s cabins and panoramic views across Nancy from the glass wall in the living room. The house now belongs to the City of Nancy, which rents it to an architect and his family on condition that the public can visit at certain times. Together with Prouvé’s workshop from his factory, which has been rebuilt in the grounds, it offers fascinating insights into the life and work of one of the most influential designers — or “factory workers,” as Prouvé described himself — of the 20th century and is a highlight of the current “Tribute to Jean Prouvé” in Nancy.
Read more on http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/arts/20iht-design20.html?_r=1&ref=arts
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