French mid-century designers you need to know

Mid-century French design was in the spotlight at the contemporary art fair PAD earlier this year, showcasing the best of gallic furniture from the 20th century. Antique Collecting profiles nine pioneers every collector should know

Guy de Rougemont
(1935-2021) A multidisciplinary artist, de Rougemont was primarily a painter, influenced by Pop Art and Minimalism having spent time  in New York. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he developed a strong foundation in traditional artistic techniques.

Over the years, he became a prominent figure in the post-war avant-garde art scene in France, gaining recognition for his innovative use of colour, form, and space. As seen in this chair, his work is characterised by its playful and bold use of geometric shapes and vibrant colours, often exploring the relationship between art and the wider environment.

His best known work may be his Nuage (cloud) coffee table which he created in the 1970s as part of a commission for decorator Henri Samuel and based on cloud-shaped sculptures he made for the Galerie Suzy Langlois in 1969. From the 1980s, he made furniture with Artcurial known as Transparences including the Diderot in 1986, which came with a bureau, sofa and chair (right) and the Du Deffand in 1989, in homage to Madame du Deffand, who had held a literary salon on the site of his studio on rue des Quatre-Fils.

Prices for his pieces start at around €10,000, with his iconic Cloud table selling for the record price of €200,000.

Janette Laverrière (1909-2011)

Laverrière was a Swiss-French designer and architect known for her pioneering work in interior design and furniture. Born in Lausanne, she moved to Paris in the 1930s, where she became involved in the avant-garde design community.

Here she started to collaborate with her first husband, Maurice Pré. Under the alias M. J. Pré, they received major awards at the annual exhibitions of the Salon des artistes décorateurs, culminating in a gold medal in 1937.

Her work is characterised by its minimalist aesthetics and functional approach, often blending artistic expression with practicality. She was a strong advocate for accessible and socially-conscious design, believing that well-designed objects and spaces could improve people’s quality of life. Her furniture designs, such as the iconic Psyché mirrors and modular storage units, showcased her talent for combining elegance with utility, often using simple lines and industrial materials.

In the 1950s, Laverrière was at her most prolific. She created the rotating cherry-wood Bibliothèque Tournante, a movable bookshelf that, rather than stand against the wall, could be reorientated to suit the needs of its users.

André Sornay (1902-2000)

André Sornay (1902-2000) was a pioneering French designer and furniture maker known for his innovative contributions to modern furniture design. Born in Lyon, he took over his family’s furniture business in the 1920s, where he began to develop a unique style that combined traditional craftsmanship with modernist aesthetics. He belonged to a new generation of architects, artists and decorators who wanted to create new forms that were suited to modern life.

The UAM (Union of Modern Artists) counted a number of avant-garde artists among its members, including Pierre Chareau, Francis Jourdain, Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, all eager to break away from tradition and to democratise art.

He was also known for his pioneering use of materials and techniques, such as the patented cloutage system, which involved the use of nails to create decorative patterns and joinery details that were both functional and aesthetically appealing. This technique allowed him to produce modular and customizable pieces of furniture that were ahead of their time.

Pierre Guariche (1926-1985)

Guariche was a pioneering French designer and architect, known for his significant contributions to mid-century modern furniture design.

Born in Paris, he studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, where he was influenced by prominent designers like René Gabriel.

He was a master at combining aesthetics with practicality, often employing new materials such as metal, moulded plywood, and fibreglass to create pieces that were both lightweight and durable. Notable works include the Tonneau chair and the Vampire chair, which remain iconic examples of his forward-thinking approach.

He was also known for his lighting designs, including the 1951 G1 floor lamp, with an embossed metal lampshade and two light sources to provide direct and indirect lighting, and his Equilibrium lighting series, which featured innovative, adjustable designs that catered to the user’s needs.

His work continues to be celebrated for its timeless appeal and is regarded as a benchmark of 20th-century French design. In 1952, he created ARP (Atelier de Recherche Plastique) in association with Joseph André Motte and Michel Mortier.

This union, though brief, from 1954 to 1957, nevertheless left an important mark on the history of French decorative arts of the 20th century. Following ARP, Guariche became the artistic director of the Belgian company Meurop.

Line Vautrin (1913-1997)

Known as “the poetess of metal” Vautrin was born in Paris, France, in 1913 to a family of metalworkers. Mastering the trade at an early age, she left school aged 15 to pursue metal craft full time. After a brief spell working for the studio of Elsa Schiaparelli, she began making boxes, ashtrays, powder compacts and paperweights, often inscribed with her signature allegories, metaphors, symbols and visual puns.

In 1937, she secured a booth at the International Exhibition in Paris, and her jewellery began to receive widespread recognition. She also worked in bronze, but also played with small fragments of mirror embedded in her own formulation of cellulose acetate resin, which she registered under the trade name Talosel. Her Talosel mirror frames proved a huge  hit, enticing celebrities such as the writer Françoise Sagan, film star Ingrid Bergman and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Maurice Calka (1921-1999)

Maurice Calka (1921-1999) was a distinguished French sculptor, designer, and architect, recognised for his innovative contributions to mid-20th-century art and  design.

Born in Poland and raised in France, his career was shaped by his education at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he developed a distinctive style blending modernist sensibilities with organic forms. His work often integrated functional design with artistic expression, exemplifying the post-war optimism and the desire to redefine everyday objects.

Calka’s most famous creation is arguably the Boomerang desk, produced in fibreglass in 1969 by French studio Leleu Deshays, in a range of colours, it was a smooth, almost edge-free and evocative form.

Its fluid, sculptural shape, became a symbol of the futuristic design ethos of the 1960s and 1970s. The desk proved a hit with leading French figures including presidents, solidifying Calka’s reputation as a leading figure in avant-garde design. A Boomerang desk sold for $480,000 at Christie’s New York in 2008.

Christian Adam (b. 1945)

The French designer is best known for his Duck chair (or chaise Canard in French) – an iconic piece of furniture celebrated for its sculptural design that blends whimsy with modernist sensibilities. The chair is characterised by its organic shape, reminiscent of a duck, featuring smooth, curving lines that provide both visual appeal and ergonomic comfort, making it a functional work of art.

Typically made from high-quality wood, the chair showcases Adam’s attention to craftsmanship, with sleek finishes and a careful balance between aesthetics and usability. It stands out in the mid-century modern design movement due to its combination of simplicity and character, making it a sought-after piece for collectors and enthusiasts of modern furniture design.

In addition to standalone furniture pieces, Adam has also worked on complete interior design projects, where his keen sense of space and proportion comes to the fore. His work has been exhibited in various design shows and is featured in numerous private collections, underscoring his influence in the field of French design.

Michel Boyer (1935-2011)

Boyer was a French designer and decorator born into a family of craftsmen and architects. To honour this family tradition he first enrolled at the school of Beaux Arts in Paris, and then in 1957, at l’École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, where he studied in the studio of the famous decorator André Arbus.

In 1965, Boyer was assigned the reconstruction of the Rothschild Bank on rue Lafitte in Paris, being responsible for the interior design of the new building. His furniture typically used the materials of his time: stainless steel, aluminum, laminate formed posts, fibreglass and lacquer.

As well as his work for the Rothschild Bank he designed the interiors for both the French Embassy in Washington and the country’s embassy in Brasilia. For these projects, he incorporated stainless steel desks, counters, and seating to convey the power of the institutions.

Max Ingrand (1908-1969)

A renowned glassmaker, decorator, and interior designer, Ingrand was also widely celebrated for his pioneering work in the field Modernism and lighting design. Born in Bressuire, he trained at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, where he developed an exceptional skill for glassmaking and design.

Among his important early commissions were the glass decorations for the luxurious ocean liner, the Normandie, which launched in 1932.

In 1954, Ingrand became the artistic director of the Italian glass company FontanaArte, founded by Gio Ponti, introducing a range of modernist lighting fixtures that combined functionality with elegant, sculptural forms.

His clean lines, innovative use of materials, and exquisite craftsmanship, soon put him in the forefront of mid-century modernism. Ingrand was also an accomplished stained glass artist, creating windows for numerous churches and public buildings throughout France.

PAD London takes place at Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London each year, with the 2025 date on October 14-19. For more details go to www.padesignart.com