Vitra Design Museum

Vitra Design Museum
Jean Prouvé 1901 – 1984
1901
Born in Paris, 8 April.
1916 – 19
Ironsmith apprenticeship at the workshop of Emile Robert in Enghien.
1919 – 21
Learns under the metalworker Szabo in Paris.
1924
First workshop established in Rue du Général Custine, Nancy.
1925
Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs, interior grilles for the Eastern France Pavilion,
Paris.
1926
Workshop acquires welding equipment (resistance and arc welding).
Member of the Comité Nancy-Paris; meets R. Mallet-Stevens, Le Corbusier and P.
Jeanneret in Paris.
Glazing bars, banisters, balustrades, furniture, lighting for the Palais de la Bière, Nancy.
1929
Founding member of the Union des artistes modernes (UAM).
Metalwork, staircase railings, guillotine windows, revolving doors, fold-away interior
partitions, lift cages and furniture for the Hotel L'Ermitage, Vittel (F. César, arch.)
1929 – 30
First pieces of furniture: easy chair ‘Grand Repos’, table “en aile d’avion” (airoplane wing)
with rubber top, tiltable chairs and folding chairs.
1929 – 31
First patents: mobile partitions, metal doors, sash windows.
Lift cabins in steel sheet, kiosks.
1930
Participant in the first UAM exhibition.
Operating rooms, sash windows, lifts, partitions and doors for the Grande-Blanche
Hospital, Lyon (T. Garnier, arch.).
1931
Opening of a large workshop, Rue des Jardiniers, Nancy, and founding of Ateliers Jean
Prouvé (AJP).
Doors, metalwork and the Cité line of furniture (bed, shelving, easy chair, desk and chair)
for Nancy’s university (J. Bourgon, arch.).
Entrance grille for the Musée des Colonies, Paris (A. Laprade, arch.).
Large glazed frontage for a Citroën showroom, Lyon (M. Ravazé, arch.).
1931 – 39
Furniture for hospitals and sanatoriums.
1933
Commissioned by Citröen to design a coach terminal intended for La Villette.
1933 – 35
Doors, partitions, furniture, metal joinery for Boulogne-Billancourt Town Hall (T. Garnier,
arch.).
1934
Chair with tubular and folded steel base.
Furniture for lecture hall, École des sciences politiques, Paris.
1935
Aéro-Club Roland Garros, Buc (E. Beaudouin and M. Lods, arch.).
Cabin for a cruise ship for the OTUA exhibition, with interior designer M. Gascoin.
Editions of office furniture: desks, chair.
Vitra Design Museum
Charles-Eames-Strasse 1, D-79576 Weil am Rhein
Telefon +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3200
Telefax +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3590
www.design-museum.de
1
Vitra Design Museum
1935 – 37
School furniture: prototypes for M. Lods and J. André, adaptable classroom desks
produced in limited editions.
Special furniture for high schools and boarding schools.
1935 – 39
Maison du Peuple and covered market, Clichy (Hauts-de-Seine) (E. Beaudouin and M.
Lods, arch., engineer V. Bodiansky).
1936
Purchase of a large Pels bending press (bending capacity: 4 metres).
1937
Universal Exposition, Paris: Cabin for a sanitary unit by Le Corbusier, P. Jeanneret and Ch.
Perriand; staircase for UAM pavilion and garden furniture in steel and rhodoid with J.
André.
1937 – 38
BLPS Holiday and Weekend House (Beaudouin and Lods, arch.), prototype.
1937 – 39
Competition for the Air Ministry: model with interior portal frame, model with exterior
portal frame.
1939
Competition for housing block construction elements for OTUA (M. Lods, arch.).
Demountable buildings with interior portal frame and furniture for SCAL, in collaboration
with BCC, Issoire (P. Jeanneret, arch.).
Manufacture of several hundred external-framed demountable sheds for combat units of
the Fourth and Fifth Armies.
Prototype caravan with P. Jeanneret.
1940 – 44
Active in the French Resistance.
War production: gas generators for lorries, charcoal ovens, Pyrobal Stoves, bicycle frames,
trailers, etc..
Designs for écoles volantes and village clubs using internal portal frames, with Le
Corbusier and P. Jeanneret.
8 x 8 BCC House with wooden portal frame, Saint-Auban (P. Jeanneret, arch.)
Tout bois (all wood) furniture, chairs and tables, pedestal tables.
Chaise-longue and designs for Visiteur chair.
Office furniture: tables, office chair, rack shelving.
Design for an aluminium house with M. Lods and building of a prototype.
1944 – 45
Mayor of Nancy after liberation, from September to May.
1945
Construction and building of 450 internal portal frame cabins, 6 x 6 and 6 x 9 metres, for
refugees in Lorraine.
1946
Projects for Stahlhaus company with the Dillingen steelworks.
Prefabricated house for a Ministry of Reconstruction experimental project in Noisy-le-Sec
(H. Prouvé, arch.).
Studies of prefabricated units for the Unité d’habitation, Marseilles (Le Corbusier, arch.).
Domestic furniture, tout bois (all wood) dining room (table, chairs, sideboard), winning a
prize in the Meubles de France competition the next year.
1947
AJP moves to Maxéville.
Ministry for Reconstruction and Town Planning (MRU) Gold Medallist.
1947 – 48
School of Glassmaking, Croismare (H. Prouvé, arch.).
Vitra Design Museum
Charles-Eames-Strasse 1, D-79576 Weil am Rhein
Telefon +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3200
Telefax +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3590
www.design-museum.de
2
Vitra Design Museum
1947 – 52
Testing chambers and partitions for the iron and steel research institute (IRSID),
Saint-Germain-en-Laye (R. Coulon, arch.).
1948
Administration building with portal frames and furniture for Ferembal factory in Nancy
(H. Prouvé, arch.).
1949
Aluminium français invests in AJP, with exclusive right of sale in the construction sector
handed over to Studal.
Steph Simon becomes sales director for AJP, with exclusive responsibility over furniture.
1949 – 50
Metal floors, staircases, and furniture for a show apartment of Unité d’habitation, Marseille
Le Corbusier,arch.).
Schools and Housing in Vantoux (Moselle) and Bouqueval (Val d’Oise) (H. Prouvé, arch.).
Competition for the Government Palace, Palace of Justice and secondary school, Niamey
(Dem. Rep. of Congo) (P. Herbé, arch.).
Tropical House, Niamey (Dem. Rep. of Congo) (H. Prouvé, arch.).
1949 – 51
Portal frame structure for the Daladier House in Le Lavandou / Saint-Clair (H. Prouvé,
arch).
Curtain wall façade for Fédération nationale du bâtiment, Paris (Gravereaux and Lopez,
arch.).
1949 – 53
Portal frame and shell type houses for MRU housing development, Meudon (H. Prouvé and
A. Sive, arch.).
1950
Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur.
Crutch-type Metropole House (H. Prouvé, arch.) for the Salon des arts ménagers, Paris.
Study for shell-type houses for Citroën (with H. Nardin and P. Oudot).
1950 – 51
Façades for the Lille Exhibition Hall (P. Herbé, arch.).
1950 – 52
Shed roofing for the Mame printing works, Tours (Drieu la Rochelle and B. Zehrfuss, arch.).
Researches in Maxéville with J. Belmont, M. Villiger, M. Silvy, H.Nardin, and P. Oudot on
aluminium façades, the Alba House, central core houses and shell-type houses.
Begin of collaboration with Ch. Perriand.
1950 – 53
Martigues Nursery School (A. Arati, M. Boyer and C. Lestrade, arch.).
1951
Founding member of the Groupe Espace.
“Shell” House (H. Prouvé, arch.) for Salon des arts ménagers, Paris.
Meridian Hall at Paris Observatory (A. Remondet, arch.).
Furnishings for the French section at the Milan Triennale (H. Prouvé, arch.).
Mobiloil, Shell, and Socony petrol stations.
Furniture and fixtures for Air France Congo building, Brazzaville (Ch. Perriand, interior
designer).
1951 – 52
Lecture hall seating for Law Faculty, Université Aix-Marseille.
1952
Grand Prix of the Cercle d’études architecturales awarded to J. Prouvé and architects R.
Gravereaux and R. Lopez for the façades and partitions at the Fédération nationale du
bâtiment.
Designs for Université européenne Nancy, tower with central core (J. Belmont, M. Silvy and
T. Carim, arch.).
Vitra Design Museum
Charles-Eames-Strasse 1, D-79576 Weil am Rhein
Telefon +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3200
Telefax +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3590
www.design-museum.de
3
Vitra Design Museum
“Industrialised” classroom and school furniture, Salon des Arts ménagers, Paris.
Designs for aluminium façades for the sea front at Royan.
Compass Desk.
1952 – 53
Façades and brise-soleil for the Hôtel de France, Conakry (Guinea) (Atelier LWD arch.).
Façades, Nièvre Prefecture, Nevers (Robert, arch.).
Libraries with Ch. Perriand.
Façades for Square Mozart Apartment House, Paris (L. Mirabeau, arch.).
Schools at Palaiseau, L’Hay-les-Roses, Saint-Avold, Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef, Aubergenville,
etc..
1952 – 57
Flying Club, Dancourt-les-Conflans (J. and B. Ogé and Le Corbusier, arch.).
1953
Competition for the Université européenne Nancy, prize-winning design (with T. Carim, S.
Ketoff, P. La Mache, M. Silvy, M. Villiger).
Façades and interiors, SFR factory, Saint-Egrève (A. Gutton, arch.).
Departure from the Maxéville workshops in June.
“Grille” (grid) – presentation chart prepared for CIAM at Aix-en-Provence (with J. Belmont
and M. Silvy).
1953 – 54
Façade panels, awning and furniture for Sécurité Sociale, Le Mans (J. Le Couteur, arch.).
1954
Aluminium Centenary Pavilion, Paris (engineer: M. Hugonnet, ing.).
Prouvé House in Nancy.
Aluminium façades for HLM housing blocks, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (M. Blanc, arch.).
Study for a brise-soleil for a holiday centre (Le Corbusier, arch.).
Silver medallist at the Ninth Milan Triennale.
1955
Recognised with the Beauté France label for the architectural elements of Aluminium
Centenary Pavilion.
Crutches and façades for the Institut Français des Pétroles, Rueil-Malmaison (P. Dufau,
arch.).
1955 – 56
Furniture, Antony university campus, Paris.
1955 – 61
Louvre screen, curtain wall and doors for Musée du Havre (Audieger and Lagneau, Weill,
Dimitrijevic, arch.).
1956
Constructions Jean Prouvé is founded (with Michel Bataille).
Opening of Galerie Steph Simon, Paris, selling furniture by Prouvé and Ch. Perriand.
Study and completion of the CNIT glass curtain wall, Paris – La Défense (B. Zehrfuss, R.
Camelot, J. de Mailly, arch.).
Maison des Jours Meilleurs (Abbé Pierre house).
1956 – 57
Evian Pump Room, Source Cachat (M. Novarina, arch., S. Kétoff, engineer.)
1957
Constructions Jean Prouvé is absorbed by CIMT.
Temporary school at Villejuif (J. Masson and R. Giudici, arch., S. Ketoff, engineer).
Reception hall at Renault head office, Flins (Yvelines) (B. Zehrfuss, arch.).
1957 – 63
Studies for mobile churches (églises nomades) and finished works in the Moselle.
Vitra Design Museum
Charles-Eames-Strasse 1, D-79576 Weil am Rhein
Telefon +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3200
Telefax +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3590
www.design-museum.de
4
Vitra Design Museum
1958
Begins teaching at CNAM, Paris.
Sahara House with Ch. Perriand, Salon des arts ménagers, Paris.
International Exposition, Brussels: France Pavilion (Gillet, arch.) and Luxemburg Pavilion
(R. Mailliet, arch.).
1959
Glass façade and superstructure for shopping gallery at Orly-Sud Air Terminal (H. Vicariot,
arch.).
Administrative buildings and underground factory for EDF Power Station at Serre- Ponçon
(J. de Mailly, arch.).
1960
Vice-president of Cercle d’études architecturales.
Façade for Institut national des sciences appliquées, Lyon (Perrin-Fayolle, arch.).
Façade panels for GEEP industrialised school buildings (Silvy and Belmont, arch.).
1961
Box units, uranium plant, Pierrelatte (J. Swetchine, engineer).
1961 – 62
Seynave House, Beauvallon (N. Hutchison, J. Parente, M. Sauzet and J. Vilfour, arch.).
1962
Gaulthier House, Saint-Dié (H. Baumann, arch.).
1963
Auguste Perret Prize awarded by the UIA.
Façade for the CIMT social centre, Neuilly (Deschler, arch.).
Church, L’Hay-les-Roses (P. Picot, arch.).
Entry to the Conception-Construction competition for the Ministry of Education (with J.
Belmont, J.-C. Périllier, M. Silvy).
Studies for schools built in “tabouret” (stool) system.
1964
Jean Prouvé exhibition at Marsan Pavilion, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.
Exhibition pavilions, Parc des Floralies, Orléans-la-Source.
1965
Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Prototype youth centre for the Salon des artistes-décorateurs, Grand Palais, Paris (Perrotet
and Deroche, arch.).
1965 – 68
Façades for Medisches Fakulteit, Rotterdam (Choisy, van Emdben, Roorda van Eysinga,
Smelt, Wittermans, and Hagoort, arch.).
1965 – 69
Study for polyester panel houses for Saint-Gobain.
1965 – 73
Freie Universität, Berlin (G. Candilis, A. Josic, S. Woods, and M. Schiedhelm, arch.).
1966
Prouvé leaves CIMT and opens a design studio in Rue des Blancs-Manteaux, Paris.
Façades for Grenoble Town Hall (M. Novarina, arch.).
1967
Nobel Tower, Paris – La Défense (J. de Mailly, H. Depussé, arch.).
1967 – 68
Youth club, Ermont.
Façades for a girls’ high school in Orléans-la-Source (M. Andrault and P. Parat, arch.).
1968
Alpexpo, Grenoble (Cl. Prouvé, arch.).
Competition for the French pavilion at the Osaka Expo.
Vitra Design Museum
Charles-Eames-Strasse 1, D-79576 Weil am Rhein
Telefon +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3200
Telefax +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3590
www.design-museum.de
5
Vitra Design Museum
1969
Circular buildings and other uses of Petroff System for filling stations for Total.
Façades for UNESCO Building V, Paris (B. Zehrfuss, arch.).
Façades and structure for the Institut de l’environnement, Paris (R. Joly, arch.).
1970
Prouvé stops teaching at CNAM.
Façades for the Laboratoires Sandoz, Rueil-Malmaison (B. Zehrfuss, arch.).
Façades for French Communist Party Headquarters, Paris (O. Niemeyer, arch.).
Studies for Les Arcs 2000 ski-station, with Ch. Perriand.
First Prize in competition for the headquarters of the Ministry of Education (with J. Belmont
and J. Swetchine).
1971
President of the jury for the Beaubourg Centre (Centre Georges Pompidou), Paris.
Mountain Refuge for CAF (French Alpine Club) at Les Evettes (Rey and Millet, arch.).
1971 – 77
President of Cercle d’études architecturales.
1972
University of Bron-Parilly, Lyon (R. Dottelonde, arch., L. Petroff, engineer).
1974
Main rail terminal at Perrache, Lyon (R. Gagès, arch.).
1975
Winning design, La Villette competition (with J. Belmont).
Study and realisation of the campanile for the church of Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp,
based on an idea by Le Corbusier.
1976
Aviary, Villars-les-Dombes (P. Dosse, arch.).
1981
Erasmus Prize Winner; exhibition Jean Prouvé Constructeur at the Boymans-Van Beuningen
Museum, Rotterdam.
Commander of the Légion d’Honneur.
Stiff Radar Tower, Ouessant Island (J.-M- Jacquin, arch.).
1982
Grand Prix d’Architecture of the City of Paris.
1984
Dies in Nancy, 23 March.
Vitra Design Museum
Charles-Eames-Strasse 1, D-79576 Weil am Rhein
Telefon +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3200
Telefax +49 (0) 7621 / 702 3590
www.design-museum.de
6