Portrait of Jean-Michel Frank by Man Ray, 1927JEAN-MICHEL FRANK (1895-1941)
A legendary figure in decorative arts, Frank shaped timeless design in the 20th century with a quest for simplicity that transcends forms and spaces; and an inimitable style termed « poor luxury. »
Frank invented spaces akin to meditation and dreams, exploring the idea of « furnishing by unfurnishing. » With elegance, he indeed broke conventions and subtly reinterpreted and blended radical simplicity with sophisticated materials, such as Hermès leather, parchment, or shagreen, with oak sanded or gouged, sometimes mixed with plaster, straw, or canvas. Perhaps it's this fusion of lightness and rigor, of dreams and radicality that made him so mythical.
His life, a blend of paradoxes and elegance, is an almost novel that unfolded between the two world wars, marked by friendships with luminaries like Alberto Giacometti, Christian Bérard, and Salvador Dalí. Today, the gallery proudly defends Jean-Michel Frank's legacy—an all-time favorite.
OUR SELECTION
IN OUR FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS
Design Miami.BASEL | June 2024
MADAME | October 20 - November 30, 2022
To learn more about JEAN-MICHEL FRANK
Bibliography:
Jean-Michel Frank, Laure Verchère, Editions Assouline, Paris, 2019
JEAN-MICHEL FRANK, Laurence Benaïm, Editions Grasset, Paris, 2017
Jean-Michel Frank, un décorateur dans le Paris des années 30, Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Editions Norma/Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, Paris, 2009
Jean-Michel Frank: L'étrange luxe du rien, Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Editions Norma, Paris, 2006
Jean-Michel FRANK, Leopold Diego Sanchez, Editions du Regard, Paris, 1980
Exhibitions:
Jean-Michel Frank, Un décorateur dans le Paris des années 30 - Fondation Yves Saint-Laurent Pierre Bergé - October 2009/January 2010
Works in the museums:
MAD, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France
MET museum, New York, USA
VMFA, Richemond, Virginia, USA