Pierre Guariche
Ensemble Mobiliers. Volume 12, 1952
Pierre Guariche
Cabinet, 1952
Frêne (ash), mahogany, perforated painted metal
31.89 H x 73.23 x 18.9 inches
81 H x 186 x 48 cm
Edition Galerie Mai
HIDDEN TREASURES | Pierre Guariche | Cabinet, 1952
We exhibited this work at the Design/Miami fair in 2012—a solo presentation devoted to Pierre Guariche. It didn’t sell and we decided to put it away until this year. That was eight years ago, when we understood it was, perhaps, ‘too early’ for the significance of this cabinet to be appreciated.
This piece is a rare example of Guariche’s early work with Galerie Mai in the 1950s; it exemplifies his special ability to design elegant furniture in series for multi-function use. Here, Guariche integrated a stereo system in production furniture for the first time. Prior to the design of this work in 1952, a stereo cabinet was only available as a custom-made object. The yellow painted perforated metal door is very sophisticated and stylistically coherent with the period.
This piece is the only one of its kind that we ever have been fortunate enough to find. Galerie Mai production was a small operation and all the models in its production are scarce.
