Pierre Chareau

Now back in print, a revealing look at the visionary French furniture designer and architect, highlighting his virtuoso designs and versatile creativity.

Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design adds even more depth and breadth to the architect's deserved reputation for creative virtuosity. —Julie V. Iovine, Wall Street Journal

[A]n exceptionally informative, readable catalogue.—Roberta Smith, New York Times

The designer and architect Pierre Chareau (1883–1950) was a pivotal figure in modernism. His extraordinary Art Deco furniture is avidly collected, and his visionary glass house, the Maison de Verre, is celebrated, but the breadth of his design genius has been little explored. Chareau linked architecture, fine arts, and style; designed furniture for avant-garde films and chic homes; collected artists such as Picasso and Mondrian; and was a radical innovator in the use of materials. This revealing look at the visionary French designer highlights his virtuosity and versatile creativity.

Essays by leading scholars embrace the full scope of his invention, offering detailed analyses of individual projects, the interdisciplinary nature of his work, his Jewish background, his place in the avant-garde of Paris between the wars, and his more recent reception. Extensive illustrations present a rich sampling of Chareau's furniture, architecture, interiors, fabrics, and wallpapers, as well as his own important art collection.

Published in association with the Jewish Museum, New York