Published on February 3, 2021
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SOLVAY REVISITED
JEAN PROUVÉ’S TIMELESS STOOL, REVISITED BY 50 DESIGNERS
Only 3 days left to bid online and encourage La Source’s mission
French association La Source, created by the painter and sculptor Gérard Garouste hosts the mission of creating a place of liberation and expression in order to give underprivileged children the keys to progress: tolerance, discovery in contact with artists and curiosity.
Dezarts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Gérard Garouste, Le bonnet d’âne, huile sur toile, 130 x 89 cm.
In this pandemic-ridden isolating period, the mission of the association is more important than ever to nurture the creative activity and motivation of young people affected, more than ever, by social isolation and the loss of benchmarks. The association is currently holding its 23rd online auction in support of its mission. The auction is underway and the sale ends this Sunday, February 7 at 6 p.m. KST (12 p.m. EST).
DESIGN TALENTS UNITED!
For the occasion, Vitra generously donated 50 Solvay stools, designed by Jean Prouvé in 1941 and still produced today. The story goes on to add the 50 talented designers and creators who responded favourably to the invitation and challenge of revisiting the iconic piece and make versions of their own.
Among the great talents recruited, Philippe Starck, India Mahdavi, Arik Levy, Christian Louboutin and Jean-Michel Wilmotte, member of the very first international jury of the GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN Awards, current edition. See the pieces in person in Paris at the Hôtel de l’Industrie (from 5 to 7 February 2021) or online before the auction closes over the weekend!
JEAN-MICHEL WILMOTTE
À prouver, dalle de verre sur tabouret Solvay, 47 x 41,8 x 116,3 cm
Jean-Michel Wilmotte pays tribute to Jean Prouvé. The architect transforms the small furniture, as he would realize the extension of a building, by using linking and assembling, without distorting it. For this project, he cleverly highlights the structure of the Solvay stool, using a fluorescent and transparent porthole that he delicately places over it.
PHILIPPE STARCK
Le Plein est Vide
And Jean Prouvé says: “… The goal was to make a very lively thing… I … with empty spaces, full spaces, I was making a painting… In my mind, a chair had to be light… It’s not the form that makes the beautiful thing, it’s the context… For me, there is no architecture without structure…”
And intelligence came to the chairs and even the stools!
INDIA MAHDAVI
Etamine
“ Sun and vitamins
Solvay and stamens
Side table and stool ”
ARIK LEVY
GhostStool
“GhostStool turns this visual icon into a memory. The “object/brand/status” based and visually oriented society we have created for ourselves diminishes our sensual, tactile and sensory abilities.
A ghost is there and not there, just as Jean Prouvé is there, without being present …
I am sure that these engineering products were not designed to be magnified and become inaccessible “collector’s items”, but as simple everyday objects to be used in our daily lives.
GhostStool is a statement of both presence and absence, reflection and action.”
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
Chrysalou
“ The stool is imbued with an immutable simplicity, a seat and four legs that, combined with the wood, give it an idea of solidity that is beyond reproach. I found it interesting to confront this with the fragility embodied by the butterfly. I have always been fascinated by their iridescence and their colourful nuances. But here, they had to be red of course!”
CHARLES ZANA
Clarté, Solvay en bronze patiné et verre coulé
Immersed under the ice, soaring towards the sky, this is the vision that Charles Zana had when he rediscovered the Solvay stool.
The light passes through the cast glass top and plays with the reflections on the patinated bronze feet.
Named Clarté, in homage to the work of light at Jean Prouvé, it was born from the expert hands of the bronze and glass craftsmen and Charles Zana’s passion for these raw and refined materials.
DISCOVER THE UNIQUE SOLVAY VERSIONS AND, WHO KNOWS, DARE TO BID!
Link to the charity sale here