Meet Maria Pergay, the woman whose impossibly chic designs changed the way the world viewed stainless steel.
“That is my best marriage,” joked Maria Pergay about her decades-long relationship with stainless steel in a 2010 interview with this writer, published in the New York Times. “Everybody is scared of stainless steel, but we have a link — there is something deep inside between me and stainless steel. This material which looks so strong, hard, and cold is sweet and not sharp, and it matches with everything.” Pergay was 79 years old at the time and about to introduce a new collection at Demisch Danant gallery.
Flash forward 14 years and the gallery is about to unveil Precious Strength | Maria Pergay Across the Decades, their sixth exhibition of the late designer’s work (Pergay died last year at the age of 93) on October 24th. Almost three dozen pieces will displayed – from her iconic Flying sofa and Ring chair to an assortment of seating, tables, cabinetry, and accessories — a selection described by the gallery as “a comprehensive collection of Pergay's most emblematic pieces, presented together for the very first time and many of which have not been displayed for close to two decades.”