Pierre Chareau was one of the most eminent French architects and designers of the interwar period and a key figure in the Art Deco movement.

Chareau approached furniture design with the same rigor he applied to architecture. From 1923, he created pieces that evolved from simple jardinières and fire screens to more complex ones that combined alabaster and precious woods. His stylistic vocabulary, particularly his use of metal in various states, was permitted only by artisanal small-series production, setting his work apart. On the architectural side, his major work, the « Maison de Verre » (1928-1931), commissioned by Dr. Dalsace, encapsulated his principles of combining formal invention with exceptional materials and transformable spaces.

Chareau’s oeuvre reflects his deep appreciation for avant-garde movements like Cubism and De Stijl. He developed friendships with major artists such as Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Amedeo Modigliani, Louis Aragon, Paul Éluard, André Breton, Jean Lurçat, and sculptor Jacques Lipchitz, with whom he collaborated. His creations were described by contemporaries as a blend of charm and power, harmony and dissonance.