Mushroom Lounge Chairs by Pierre Paulin, 1970s, Set of 2

Pierre Paulin for Artifort, attributed to. Mushroom armchair in white glass fiber with a circular leg that flares to form the circular seat and back. Inscription “Artifort mushroom Pierre Paulin” under the armchair. Model 2110. French work realized in the 1970’s. Dimensions : H 71 x W 89 x D 80 cm. Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) was a French designer who studied the stone engraving and the earthenware at Camondo school between 1947 and 1950. From 1954, he worked for Thonet and created furniture and then worked for Artifort that produced a lot of his creations as the first one was the chair n°157 in molded ABS. He founded a design office in Paris in the 1960’s and created a series of curves shape seatings in foam covered with vivid colors stretch fabric as the Ribbon chair 582, the Tongue chair 577, the Mushroom chair 560, etc. In 1968, he worked on seats for the Louvre Museum, still in the museum today. In the 1970’s, he redesigned the Georges Pompidou apartments in l’Elysée and founded the design group ADSA + Partners with Roger Tallon and Michel Schreiber to work on industrial projects, company identity as Air France or train station design as Lyon one. In the 1980’s, he created new furniture for the Elysée Palace as for the Mobilier National (*National Furniture). Beside the furniture, Paulin also realized interior decoration and collaborated with great brands as Dior for packaging, the Orsay Museum for signage, L.M. Ericsson for cell phones, etc. Great representant of the French design, Paulin created his style by combining modernity, rigor and organic shapes. He was inspired by scandinavian and Japanese furniture and the Eames work. Today his pieces are exhibited all aound the world because they are the witness of a simple, functional and a long-lasting style. Source : C.&P. FIELL, Design du XXe siècle, Taschen Bibliotheca Universalis, 2018