Iron work of the Art Deco period escaped from tradition, to take on new forms & finishes.
Parisian Gilbert Poillerat (1902-1988), maker of this coffee table (left) was one artist who shaped this transformation.
Poillerat graduated from the Parisian Institution Ecole Boulle in 1921. Following this he spent 8 years under the direction of one of France`s greatest iron artists, Edgar Brandt, who introduced him to the new ideas of the Art Deco movement.
In 1927, Poillerat began working for Baudet, Donon & Roussel where he worked as head of decorative iron-works designing tables, screens, grilles & lighting.
It was here where Poillerat developed his calligraphic style of fluid & intertwined iron. Pieces were finished in gilt to soften the overall form.
Poillerat drew inspiration from Rococo, Directoire & Louis XIV Architecture. His favourite elements included tassels, hunting bows, stars & twisted ropes.
In 1928, Poillerat exhibited his first show at the Salon d`Automne, the famous Parisian `alternative` art exhibition. In 1946, he was named professor at the École National des Arts Decoratifs, where he taught for over two decades. During this time his designs became simpler and more severely rectilinear with an emphasis on proportions.
Poillerat’s legacy includes his 1935 design for the pool doors on the Normandie, the Art Deco gates at Jules Ferry College in Maisons-Alfort and The Great Synagogue de la Paix Strasbourg.
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