Jean Prouvé - portrait panels_web_3-2

Jean Prouvé

Jean Prouvé, who regarded himself as an engineer throughout his lifetime, was both the designer and manufacturer of his product ideas. His unique oeuvre, ranging from a letter opener to door and window fittings, from lighting and furniture to prefabricated houses and modular building systems, encompasses almost anything that is suited to industrial production and construction.

Biography

Jean Prouvé completed his training as a metal artisan before opening his own workshop in Nancy in 1924. In the following years he created numerous furniture designs, and in 1947 Prouvé established his own factory. Due to disagreements with the majority shareholders, he left the company in 1953. During the ensuing decades, Prouvé served as a consulting engineer on a number of important architectural projects in Paris.
‘I’m not an architect; I’m not an engineer – I’m a factory man.’
Jean Prouvé
He left his mark on architectural history again in 1971, when he played a major role in selecting the design of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers for the Centre Pompidou as chairman of the competition jury. Prouvé's work encompasses a wide range of objects, from a letter opener to door and window fittings, from lighting and furniture to façade elements and prefabricated houses, from modular building systems to large exhibition structures – essentially, almost anything that is suited to industrial production methods.

In close cooperation with the Prouvé family, Vitra began in 2002 to issue re-editions of designs by this great French constructeur.

My father, Jean Prouvé
An interview with Catherine Prouvé

‘The Jean Prouvé designs are developed in close co-operation with the family. Questions regarding the details, materials and colours of the earliest models are examined, debated and resolved in intense and conscientious discussions. The commencement of this partnership stands under a propitious star. It continues the work of Jean Prouvé and fills us with deep satisfaction,’ comments Catherine Prouvé.