Paul Follot (att.) (1877-1941) Art Deco bench

About this piece

Stylish bench, attributed to the French designer Paul Follot and manufactured around 1920-1925. The design, with the carved tapered legs, makes this bench so elegant. The stylized flowers are characteristic of Art Deco and this type of decoration can also be seen in designs by Süe et Mare (Paul Vera), Marcel Dufrène and others. Yet it is a characteristic work of Paul Follot.

The bench has been re-upholstered and the woodwork has also been re-polished, making it in optimal condition for use.The fabric is sturdy and of high quality.

Biography:
Paul Frédéric Follot (France 1877-1941) was a French artist who was originally trained as a sculptor, but made especially designs for luxury furniture and applied arts. He studied design and sculpture under Eugène Grasset at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Parijs.

Between 1901 and 1903 he designed Art Nouveau silver and bronze objects, textiles and jewellery for Julius Meier - Graefe's Parisian Gallery 'La Maison Moderne'. He worked closely with Marcel Dufène and Abel Landry.

Paul Follot in 1903, Paul Follot was one of the founders of the artists group "l'Art dans Tout", translated "Art in everything". The artists wanted to promote the French traditional applied arts and found that each item also should be a piece of art, it was also meant as a protest against the emerging industrialisation.

After WWI Follot embraced the Art Déco style, he was, among other things, director of 'Pomone', a workshop for luxury applied art of the chic department store Le Bon Marché in Paris.

He exhibited with success at the Paris Salons. On the famous Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs in 1925 he gets great success with the decoration of the Pavilion of Pomone.
He was also one of the designers of the famous ocean liner SS Normandie.

His work is still very appreciated and is part of several museum collections, like Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Musée D'Orsay in Paris.

Literature:
- Duncan, Alastair; "Art deco Complete - The Definitive Guide to the Decorative Arts of the 1920's & 30's", Thames & Hudson, 2009.
Page 378 en page 6, 8, 10, 17, 248, 251, 252, 255, 368, 416, 463, 470, 483.

- Yvonne Brunhammer et Suzanne Tise; "French Decorative Art, Société des Artistes Décorateurs 1900-1942", Flammarion Paris, 1990.
Page 14, 22, 26, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 41, 43, 45, 46, 52, 69, 75, 76, 80, 82, 126, 143, 244, 245, 246.

Condition

Excellent