Pierre Paulin pour Artifort. “F560 Mushroom” armchair and ottoman. 1960s.

Pierre Paulin for Artifort, signed.

“F560 Mushroom” model armchair, with its ottoman, or footrest, with fine white curls.

French work realized in the 1960s. 

Dimensions:

Armchair: H 68 x D 75 cm

Ottoman: H 37 x D 55 cm

Reference: LS5812?+LS6153708C

Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) is a French designer who studied stone engraving and ceramics at the Camondo school from 1947 to 1950. From 1954, he worked for Thonet creating furniture then moved to Artifort which produced most of his creations, the first of which is the chair n°157 in molded ABS. He founded a design office in Paris in the 1960s and created a series of round-shaped seats in foam covered with stretchy fabric in bright colors such as the Ruban 582 armchair, the Langue 577 armchair, the Mushroom 560 armchair, etc.

In 1968, he worked on seats for the Louvre Museum, which is still present in the museum today. In the 1970s, he remodeled the apartments of President Georges Pompidou at the Elysée and founded the design group ADSA + Partners with Roger Tallon and Michel Schreiber to work on industrial projects, corporate images such as Air France or the development of stations like that of Lyon. In the 1980s, he created new furniture for the Elysée Palace as well as for the Mobilier National.

In addition to furniture, Paulin also produces interior decoration and collaborates with major brands such as Dior for packaging, the Musée d’Orsay for signage, L.M. Ericsson for telephones, etc.

A great representative of French design, Paulin knew how to create his style by combining modernity, rigor and organic forms. He draws his inspiration from Scandinavian and Japanese furniture and the work of the Eames. Today his pieces are exhibited in museums around the world because they demonstrate a simple, functional and durable style.

Sources:

C.&P. FIELL, 20th century design, Taschen Bibliotheca Universalis, 2018

Creation in France, Decorative Arts 1945-1965, alphabetical directory, Paris, ed. Gourcuff Gradenigo, 2009, pp. 250-251