ENTRY 8.
How Art Deco, a pivotal movement for the material of alabaster and craftsmanship, pioneered by the iconic Pierre Chareau, shaped our Domo and Nova collections.
Pioneered by the iconic Pierre Chareau, the alabaster industry was revived in the 1920s Art Deco period culminating in the participation at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, held in Paris. This is where the style was first exhibited and Art Deco, short for "arts décoratifs," got its name.
With origins of the Vienna Secession and Cubism, the Art Deco movement combined fine craftsmanship with an emphasis on style and taste through rare and expensive materials, such as ebony, ivory, and and of course, alabaster.
Chareau was a pivotal figure in modernism and a radical innovator with materials.
He disliked homogenous lighting and was initially drawn to alabaster because of the stone’s ability to diffuse and manipulate light.
PIERRE
CHAREAU
Born: August 4, 1883, Le Havre, France
Died: August 24, 1950 (age 67 years), New York, NY
Periods: Art Deco, Modernism
Influenced by: Le Corbusier, Constructivism, Bauhaus,
Dutch De Stijl, Japan.
His lamps, devoid of useless ornaments, are essentially sculptural and often reflect his attraction to cubism. Through varied scale and layers, (at times using several tiny alabaster sconces affixed to the wall or joining set of them), the components of volumes in themselves, carried rhythms and lyricism.
Much of the lighting work was in collaborated with ironsmith craftsman Louis Dalbet, who executed the parts of patinated wrought iron. The alabaster was often mounted on metal structures which, by their finesse and invisibly give an airy impression, anthropomorphic allusion, and even sometimes look like statues or busts.
Alabaster complemented his architectural and interior design innovations. His most famous works, the Maison de Verre (House of Glass), featured extensive use of translucent materials. While glass dominates the structure, alabaster was often used in smaller, detailed applications to introduce a softer, warmer glow.
Chareau’s use of alabaster reflected his broader design philosophy, creating lighting that was both ahead of its time and stylistically intimately atmospheric, capturing the origins of Art Deco.
LP180 table lamp, c. 1923
Designed by Chareau.
The Nova Sconce
by Orphan Work
Wall sconce, c. 1924
Designed by Chareau.
Wall sconce, c. 1924
Designed by Chareau.
