Guy de Rougemont (b. 1935) is a French painter and sculptor admired for his use of vibrant geometric motifs. In the 1970s, Rougemont started designing functional pieces as an extension of his sculpture. Rougemont became increasingly interested in the possibility of endowing furniture with the experimental forms and volumes of sculpture, while maintaining some ambiguity of function.
The period between the late 1960s and mid-1970s witnessed the emergence of a new era of design and artistic expression in France. It was an exciting moment marked by leaps of creative daring in every field, and rich with an eagerness to know and experience different mediums and forms of expression beyond the old, accepted boundaries. Artists and industrial designers formed collectives like Atelier A, and reflected a new social context characterized by experimentation; they challenged the definitions of modern design by incorporating new materials, humor, and spirit in the creation of objects of daily life.
Acclaimed as one of the first experts in mixing design genres and periods, Henri Samuel was also one of the first to invite contemporary artists to make furnishings. In 1970, Samuel commissioned Rougemont to design the legendary Cloud Table for his apartment, made from smoked Plexiglas and brass.
This Nuage Illuminated Coffee Table, commissioned by Samuel in the same year for the office in his Paris home, represents an iteration of the more recognizable “Nuage” coffee table. Only three or four models are believed to have been produced by the artist, and this variant features a unique burlwood veneered top and one open side to the base.
Henri Samuel's Office, with Guy de Rougemont's Nuage Coffee Table © Christoph Kicherer
Henri Samuel's Office, with Guy de Rougemont's Nuage Coffee Table © Christoph Kicherer
