Design Miami/ Basel
SOURCES OF MODERNITY
Another view of French 1950s design

Preview: June 10, 2019
June 11-16, 2019
Stand G11

For Design Miami/Basel 2019, Demisch Danant is pleased to present Sources of Modernity: Another view on French 1950s design, highlighting the new generation of designers that emerged during this period.

The sources of modernity in France date back to the French Union of Modern Artists (UAM) movement in the 1930s.  Younger members René Gabriel, Louis Sognot, Jacques Dumond and Marcel Gascoin revived the UAM principles in the 1940s and 50s, spearheading mass production of furniture in series. They became mentors and teachers to a next generation of designers, such as Pierre Guariche, Michel Mortier, René-Jean Caillette, and Joseph-André Motte, who were challenged by post-war society, and proposed a new modern lifestyle with new materials and technology.

The style of the French 1950s, spanning 1948-62, embodied a spirit of new beginnings. The previous pre-war generation with the likes of Le Corbusier, Serge Mouille, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand, and Jean Prouvé, was equally active in this period but the landscape is not complete without recognizing the influential younger generation that propelled French modernity into the 1960s.

The exhibition includes important works by René Gabriel, Louis Sognot, Jacques Dumond, Maurice Pré, André Renou and Jean-Pierre Génisset, René-Jean Caillette, Janine Abraham, Joseph-André Motte, Pierre Guariche, Michel Mortier, Geneviève Dangles and Christian Defrance, and a tapestry by Sheila Hicks.

Sources of Modernity is a continuation of the gallery’s made in France program, reintroducing French designers from the post-war period and bringing to light the importance of their contributions.