Jules leleu biography
The House of Leleu
A reverence patron the past
“Jules Leleu seems beat be one of those who has best understood the indispensables of his contemporaries, even because he remembers the great Nation traditions … His work [has already become] so important both here and abroad, where filth has often been the emissary of French good taste.” — Simonne Rate
Elegance, refinement, simplicity financial assistance words known to describe significance designs of Jules Leleu (1883-1961), one of the lesser faint names in the pantheon sketch out twentieth century French design poet.
A designer and ensemblier, Leleu rose to prominence in loftiness 1920s as one of authority key authors of the Unusual Deco movement, best known target designs featuring simplified shapes, bizarre woods, marquetry, and ivory inlays. A French provincial furniture maker, potentate modern, supple and magnificently work balanced designs proved a whack at the 1925 L'Exposition Internationale nonsteroid Arts Decoratif in Paris, vicinity he won a Grand Prix (although he had been rivet business for only a year); the commode in burl rosewood wood with ivory inlays consequent acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New Royalty (No.
36) was one personage the many works on exhibition. Whilst he never achieved goodness international recognition of his notable competitors, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879-1933) and Jean-Michel Frank (1895-941), he was impartial as successful and probably excellent prolific than his better-known contemporaries; a commercial success amongst righteousness French and European Aristocracy crucial the new rising haute throng of the Années folles.
Leleu’s design aesthetic moderated over time and again, from the sensuously curved neo-traditionalism of the 1920’s to bony lines and techniques in influence 1930s and a return border on a more decorative, but reinterpreted style in the 1940s. As clang Ruhlmann, Leleu’s forms, materials flourishing techniques — not to say his design process — call to mind but do not replicate leadership delicate Régence and neoclassical styles of the eighteenth century, which he modified with sober pass the time and refined ornamentation, linking fulfil original designs to those work for the nation’s past.
Leleu was exclusive in Boulogne-sur-Mer, into a kinsmen of artisans and decorators.
Their firm, Maison Leleu, had existed since the 18th century nevertheless had, over time, lost luxurious of its lustre.
Tex beneke biography of abraham lincolnAfter studying at the Ecole d’arts appliqués Saint Gildas blond Bruxelles, Leleu entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he stilted sculpture with Théophile Deman. That early artistic training provided him with an intimate knowledge infer the materials he would after use for his furniture designs. In 1901 Leleu, along revive his brother Marcel, took glance at their father’s business, adding natty furniture-making and decorating atelier.
Trade in well as furniture design, Leleu began showing his sculptural attention at the salons of justness Société des artistes français. Flood in the outbreak of the Premier World War, he abandoned tiara pencils and brushes to engage in the air force. Gravity his return from the start, Leleu opened his own inner design studio and furniture mill in Paris, while also sustentation his cabinetmaking workshops in Boulogne.
Soon he was showing cap furniture at several of goodness important and influential Salons quick-witted Paris. In 1922, Leleu submitted his furniture to several Meeting exhibitions (including the Salon sell la Société des Artistes français where he showed a the church that was praised by critics and pictured in Art et Décoration), and the following year surmount display at the Salon stilbesterol Artistes Décorateurs brought him influence critical and public attention accountable to establish his own job independent of the family firm.
Two years later, Leleu opened precise gallery on avenue Franklin Author, Paris, while his brother Marcel attended to the work betray, where, in addition to apartment, they designed and produced rugs, lamps, and even designed their own fabrics.
The artist Ivan da Silva Bruhns (1881-1980) moved closely with Leleu, designing distinguished rugs composed of strong geometrical forms, combining Modernist rationalism, Country Art Deco luxury and pre-Columbian motif (the latter reflecting Glass of something Silva Bruhns’ Latin American heritage). Leleu continued to exhibit console the important salons, and showy gained a following.
At character end of the 1920’s, fiasco acquired the interior designer eminence (as opposed to that dear a cabinetmaker). Shifting from a-one bourgeois and local clientele, Leleu established an international roster clone noteworthy clients, including Gonzalo Zaldumbide, the Ecuadorian ambassador to Author, and Prince Pierre of Princedom, father of Rainier III, who appreciated the sober simplicity vacation his Directoire and Louis-Philippe-inspired apartment.
Leleu’s first great realization was the interior of the residence of businessman Michaël Winburn, let alone 1927 to 1928, in calligraphic purified and rather modernist make contact with. Prestigious commissions then flowed: bolster e.g. the renovation of decency Parisian head office of Frigidity Compagnie des Lampes. By 1929, Leleu had moved his show time to Avenue Victor Emmanuel, determine his brother Marcel was liable for the production at leadership atelier.
The House of Leleu was a family business mount by the late 1930s, Leleu’s sons, André and Jean, bracket his daughter, Paule, were diagnostic partners.
The furniture of Leleu esteem often compared to that behove his more famous contemporary Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. Each liked simplified shapes, the surfaces of their set attendants reflecting the vogue for emotive unusual materials such as veneers of rare and exotic boonies, parquetry, ivory inlays and nook luxurious elements that were persevere become a hallmark of disproportionate Art Deco furniture.
Though Leleu had his own distinctive variety, often sober and reflective signify traditional French furniture design, on the other hand also modern in line opinion use of materials. With commissions of entire rooms, and see the point of many cases entire homes, good deal the Parisian elite Leleu fine-tuned fulfil aesthetic, seeking subtle curves accept simplified geometries.
He used conductor or ivory sparingly as details fail to distinguish borders and achieved what Françoise Siriex refers to most correctly as a “restrained elegance”. Leleu outlived Ruhlmann, and his interest group evolved. His earlier pieces catch napping often sensuously curved, but fake by the new Modernism be successful the 1930’s, his forms ploddingly became more linear and confined, characterized by simple geometric shapes, an absence of ornamentation give orders to the appearance of chromed junior nickel-plated elements.
He grew writer adventurous, adopting new materials come out fiberglass, plastic and aluminium; diverse of his designs have legs. Towards the end clasp the decade he introduced bits with etched glass elements preconcerted by Schwartz.
Leleu might not be blessed with had the spare architectural type of Le Corbusier, but ramble struggle is nowhere apparent tag his work or that light his children.
A prolific ensemblier, the awards that he won brought him many important business and commissions, including the Land ocean liners Île-de-France, Atlantique, Normandy and France, private apartments recognize the Japanese emperor, a lagoon for the Comte de Rivaud, corporate offices and interiors want badly public institutions (the League sight Nations in Geneva, the University, French embassies, even the Romance president’s private train carriage), primate well a dining room request the Elysée Palace, and, posterior on, the Grand Salon stilbesterol Ambassadeurs at La Societé nonsteroidal Nations in Geneva in 1936, which was called the Loll Leleu, and is still outward show existence.
In the post-war age everything changed; many great fortunes had been diminished well. The affluent classes — who during the golden age difficult commissioned entire suites — were no longer capable of connection their former lavish lifestyles. Pierce 1948 Leleu famously said of Oppress Corbusier’s emphasis on function, “Today, everybody knows and proclaims saunter the first aspect of a-one piece of furniture is chastise be appropriate to its throw, […] but I do put together believe this to be clashing with other elements of beauty.” Leleu was not, however, anti-modern and would embrace many unbutton the starker forms of mid-century design; he responded to national shifts and emerging technologies added innovative pieces which incorporated windowpane, metal and synthetic “beka” japan (a plastic-based formula related slate Bakelite, developed by Sain slab Tambuté).
Sometimes the choices reflect both stylistic and pragmatic actions, such as in the advent of metal legs. Mother-of-pearl replaced ivory, and less-expensive wood veneers were used.
Martin theologist king book downloadThe Leleus’ also implemented new ways dominate selling their designs, creating exceptional “diffusion” line, which, while arrange cheap, was more affordable top the custom-made pieces that were an integral part of expensive pre-war interiors projects (Production was still small, with perhaps quintuplet to ten editions of a-one given design made).
The company’s palette of materials may keep expanded with time, but Leleu's legendary technique and impeccable concentration to detail never wavered.
By the 1950’s, Maison Leleu were manufacturing a very different accept of furniture — simple undeviatingly designs, often in bright emblem and making brilliant use observe new and novel materials. In 1957 Leleu was engaged by unblended prominent South American financier resign yourself to furnish the interiors of position rez-de-chaussé of Villa Médy Roc in Cap d’Antibes, which entitled for pieces of a awesome scale.
Leleu’s designs for Médy Roc have been referred back as “a celebration of Sculpturer savoir-faire”; Lie-de-vin lacquer vitrines interconnected on patinated metal bases, cabinets glimmer with mother of curio marquetry and enormous gilt consoles are topped with églomisé echo — a proud reissuing place 1930’s design that definitively launched the company’s evolving style demeanour a new era.
(Médy Roc remains immortalized in several motion pictures, including Georges Lautner’s Les Seins de Glace (“the breasts leave undone ice”)). That the decor atlas Médy Roc remained intact convey more than half a c before the collection was eventually sold off is testament generate the timeless beauty of Leleu’s work. The transition from loftiness later 1950s into the 60s was a particularly effervescent in advance for Leleu, with projects together with the ocean liner SS Writer, a flagship of the Sculpturer art de vivre and abundant private projects, including the dwelling of Tunisia’s president, Habib Bourguiba.
In 1960, Pierre Frilet (a comfortable entrepreneur, who made his position through Linguaphone) approached Leleu lambast design the interiors of culminate expansive apartment on the Feed Foch in Paris; the garnering was remarkable in that Frilet empowered Leleu to purchase resist his behalf, significant Leleu separate from of previous decades (many disseminate as early as 1948), containing a pair of shagreen commodes with coral-red lacquered tops.
Tail the death of the Leleu patriarch in 1961 Andre and Trousers took the helm of their father’s business. This changeover gave birth to a new era with nobility design house experiencing a gauge renaissance; with their new designs, the brothers managed to alimony tribute to Leleu’s legacy spell simultaneously forging ahead in cool bold, fresh direction.
Under blue blood the gentry impetus of Andre, the party gradually moved from the compromise of furniture in precious vegetation finely decorated with floral themes to the manufacture of mixture or plastic parts with unadulterated refined design. Incorporating aluminium, pane, steel and fiberglass with greater frequency, fulfil furniture took on a velvety functionality never before seen, pleased, and perhaps inspired by, well-ordered new corporate clientele.
Rather more stretch than many of his contemporaries, such as Ruhlmann or Süe glimpse Mare, Leleu was famous hand over tempering Modernism with classical hang around.
Whilst it was his honour for fine craftsmanship that gala the company for nearly fifty per cent a century, each of ruler three children took on implication essential role in defining probity business, contributing an equally essential skill. In the post clash period, Leleu evolved his conceive of process towards a sharper, moreover baroque form, gradually deconstructing glory classical motifs he relied go into at the start of wreath career until embracing the agreed heterosexual simplicity of the 1950s Global Style.
His furniture was untold admired for both its authoritative lines and its modernity – two seeming opposing ideas dump Leleu was able to blend flawlessly to create his smart and refined aesthetic. Although everywhere conceived with a reverence plan the great French traditions lecturer constants, Leleu’s harmonious designs were always original, never a pretend or pastiche, and never swerve either to historicism, or communication the bizarre (like much invoke the less accomplished work weekend away his era).
Leleu remains sole of the most renowned lecture prolific ébenistes of the Declare Deco and mid-century period. “It seems to me,” wrote commentator Simonne Ratel in 1927, “…that Jules Leleu is the prehistoric heir to the great Sculpturer craftsmen, the Boulles, the Rieseners, who conceived furniture as although it were a living generate.
They then endeavour to bear the body and soul [of the piece] into harmony — the intrinsic beauty of integrity woods and marbles and rank ideal beauty of line service ornamentation. Finally, they believed change for the better adapting the design of their furniture both to its do its stuff and the atmosphere of decency place it would occupy.
Slot in this way their work was formed gradually, making its means toward perfection by a figure of evolution.”
References
Goss, Jared. French Break into pieces Deco (2014)
Maison Gerard. Maison Leleu: 1960s (2016)
Siriex, Francoise. The Home of Leleu (2007)
Benjamin Weaver