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 JUBILEE PIERRE PAULIN 80 / 60 / 50


Some milestones demand action and the special jubilee of Pierre Paulin was certainly no exception. Paulin is one Artifort's most talked-about designers. Not only is he 80 this year, but he has also been active as a designer for 60 years and has designed for Artifort for 50 of them.
Pierre Paulin, born in 1927: a French designer with a complex personality. A certain self-consciousness and an elegant, whimsical style may have accounted for the fact that he has remained virtually unknown to the general public. He is, however, the designer of seating sculptures that have continually been in production for some fifty years and sold all over the world by Artifort.
In the nineteen-fifties, Pierre Paulin was invited by Kho Liang Ie to present his prototypes at an international furniture show. This planted the seeds for a working relationship that was to bear very special fruit over the next 50 years - half a century. Who does not know such modern classic as Ribbon, Orange Slice, Tongue, Butterfly, Mushroom?
Again and again, the worldwide prize-winning designs of Paulin appear as true works of art. They are challenging. They inspire. But, above all, they are pieces of furniture that you can sit in. They are not form for the sake of form but applied design. In optima forma.

To mark this special year, all of Paulin's designs for Artifort are available in the fabric Momentum. This fabric was designed in 1957 by Lenor Larsen and has been returned to production this year by Artifort. This exceptional design by Larsen lends an extra dimension to Pailin's seating sculptures. At the time, they were revolutionary. Now they have become timeless. An evergreen.

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Artifort F 574, Le Chat, looks as if it were designed with a single movement of the pen. The backrest and seat seem to leap out of the rear base. This is the source of its interplay of lines. And it makes the chair both inviting and dynamic. A pleasure to sit on. With Le Chat Pierre Paulin used aluminium profiles for the first time as a base. Later, he also used them for the F 598, one of Artifort's classics.
In 1969, Le Chat deservedly won the Monza Design Award.
Now, in 2007, Artifort is re-introducing Le Chat, with a slight modification.

In 1969, ABCD won the Monza Design Award. And rightly so. The shape of Pierre Paulin's ABCD sofa seems to be derived from an egg-box. It's powerful, protective and yet elegant. Its curves look like waves. Organic and soft. Relaxing. Creating space for everyone who sits on it. Supportive. Ideal for hotel lobbies and lounges.

Butterfly. A familiar face and a design classic, this unconventional, timeless design by Pierre Paulin in 1964 will be considered a classic for many years to come.
A familiar face and a design classic, this unconventional, timeless design by Pierre Paulin in 1964 will be considered a classic for many years to come. Upholstered in black and natural saddle leather. Also available in cowhide. The frame is brushed stainless steel. Butterfly has been included in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.

With its elegantly rounded shell on a chromed rounded pedestal, the Globe seems to have escaped from the very first James Bond movie. Many people who see this chair feel a slight touch of nostalgia. The Globe is a luxurious and stylish design that made enthusiastic use of the latest technology of the time. Proving that true design is timeless. There is a dignified Globe with a high back and a slender Little Globe with a low back. As a team, they are unbeatable. Pierre Paulin, 1960.

In 1973 Pierre Paulin designed the 598, F 598 the Groovy shell seat, and quickly became the darling of the trendy avant-garde. A special feature is the aluminium profile base, anodised or coated. Featured in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.

As if Pierre Paulin had premonitions of Flower Power, the Tulip spreads its simple, half-open petals around the sitter, inviting and warming at the same time.
There is a dignified high Tulip and an elegant, low Little Tulip. Together with the footstool, it makes for an expressive, very comfortable combination. Designed by Pierre Paulin in 1965.

First there was the Mushroom – one of Paulin's best known designs. A design that is included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. After that came the Mushroom pouffe – an equally celebrated design that featured in all the magazines. And one that has now re-entered production.

Anyone who sees several Orange Slice chairs grouped together cannot fail to be touched by the playfulness of the composition. From different visual angles, the Orange Slice shows several stages of 'curl up'. In fact, the chair seems to change shape every time you look at it.
The chair comprises two completely identical shells of pressed beech, covered with foam on a chromed metal frame. Designed by Pierre Paulin in 1960.

Oyster is one of the first designs in the Classic Collection and the easy chair of the sixties. The chromed metal base is so minimalist that the wooden seating shell seems to float. All over the world, this chair decorated, and still decorates, the living areas of Artifort fans with a feeling for style.
The Oyster was in the Artifort collection until 1979 and by request Artifort brought it back into the collection in 1999. Pierre Paulin, 1960.

Ribbon is a completely upholstered design by Pierre Paulin from 1966 and a professional, innovative vision on the well-known ribbon form. Metal frame with horizontal springs, covered with foam and stretch fabric. A lacquered pressed-wood pedestal. A beautiful example of applied art.
A beautiful example of applied art. Featured in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.

Tongue. An expressive armchair. Almost nonchalant. A chair that whispers gently and whose flowing shape and subtle colours make it possible to create interior seating accents easily and, most of all, expressively.

In 1991 Pierre Paulin enriched the Classic Collection with a comfortable, more businesslike chair, the Ben Chair. The Ben Chair unites classic opinions about robust seating pleasure with a contemporary, slim design. Its distinctive aluminium sledge base comes anodised or coated.

The exhibition Jubilee Pierre Paulin 80 / 60 / 50 is on display in Hyères at Ville Noailles through September 16, 2007, then will travel to Paris from November 5, 2007 to January 5, 2008 at Mobilier National.


JUBILEE PIERRE PAULIN 80 / 60 / 50
Villa Noailles – Hyères (Fr)
7 july / 16 september 2007
Mobilier National – Paris (Fr)
5 november / 5 january 2008
Artifort Exposition – Schijndel (netherlands)
5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 september 2007
Grand Hornu (B)
spring 2008
Japan
2008

Artifort
PO Box 115
NL-5480 AC Schijndel
the Netherlands
www.artifort.nl
edited by: 
Gabriella Masiello 

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in cooperation with:
Umberto Rovelli

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