René-Jean Caillette

Born in 1919, he was the oldest of this generation. R.J. Caillette was an artist driven by the desire to develop functional furniture for mass-production. Educated at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Appliqués à l’Industrie, he graduated valedictorian from the furniture course. He worked with Marcel Gascoin to create the Association of “Créateurs de Mobilier en Série” (ACMS), which produced very attractive post-war furniture. He was involved with Groupe IV at Charron’s atelier in 1953 where he was one of the most inventive and productive designers. He also designed for the chair manufacturer Steiner and the light manufacturer Pierre Disderot. In 1958, he was recognised for the design of one of the most beautiful chairs of the 20th century: the Diamond chair. He invited several young designers to join his atelier and trained many others during his teaching career at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs, from 1959 to 1981. He also took part in many exhibitions for home interiors and interior design.