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This exhibition is a homage to the talent of one of the most important French designers of the mid-20th century. In 1952, Pierre Paulin's first designs caught the attention at the Thonet firm through which he discovered and mastered new materials in the manner of the American designers Eames, Saarinen and Bertoia. It is only in 1956, after responding to harry Wagemans'invitation to join Artifort, that Paulin found the means and the support he needed to realize the production of his designs. In his concern for simplicity and refusal of any lyrical effect, his designs were given numbers. His innovate productions anticipated social revolutions through the lifestyles they encouraged. At the end of the 1960's, Paulin benefited from a close collaboration with the talented and inventive artisans of the new atelier of research and creation from "le Mobilier National", which coincided with the renovation of the Denon wing of the Musée du Louvre, the renovation of the private apartments of the President Georges Pompidou at the Elysée and lastly the creation of furniture for the Presidential Office of François Mitterrand in 1983. Although these prestigious commissions contributed to his renown, other designs, however, permitted the public to discover the comfort of modern living. These are the designs which we have decided to present at the gallery, a place that draws them closer to the sculptural works that in essence, they are. At once sculptural and rigorously functional, they're studied forms cradle the body in perfect harmony. A man of the future, Paulin scattered his path with poetic objects that were ahead of their time and whose rediscovery more than 30 years later inspire admiration.
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