Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte. Polished metal mirror. 1960s.

Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte.

Mirror model “2172” with its polished metal frame, the angled parts in green tones, rectangular in shape.

Italian work, 1960s.

Dimensions: H 80 x W 52 x D 6 cm

Reference : LS60102003?B

Max Ingrand (1908-1969) was a French master glassmaker and decorator, considered one of the most famous of the 20th century. After studying at the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs, he joined the workshop of Jacques Gruber (1870-1936) in 1927 and began his career as a glassmaker and decorator. He was responsible for a number of stained-glass projects, including the Eglise Sainte-Agnès in Maisons-Alfort. His career was interrupted by the war, during which he was held prisoner by the Germans for 5 years, but on his return to France, he took charge of several reconstruction projects, such as the church in Yvetot, which earned him the trust of the Monuments Historiques, who entrusted him with the restoration of stained glass windows in Rouen Cathedral and Strasbourg Cathedral. His reputation was such that he also received commissions from the United States and Canada. Alongside his glassmaking activities, he also became artistic director of the Italian firm Fontana-Arte, for whom he designed numerous lighting fixtures.

The Maison Fontana Arte is a division of the Luigi Fontana House (1881) created in 1932 by the famous Italian architect Gio Ponti assisted by Pietro Chiesa. Luigi Fontana is a company specializing in the creation and manufacture of refined glass products and the Fontana Arte division, still in operation today, focuses on the production of pieces which most often require artisanal know-how. The entire division produces furniture and objects that have now become part of design history.

Source: Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Max Ingrand: from glass to light, Editions Norma, 2009.