BRAFA 2023
21/01/2023 - 05/02/2023
For its first participation to Brafa in January 2023, the “Galerie Pascal Cuisinier” is showcasing a representative group of French designers from the 1950s. The gallery has selected a remarkable and very rare collection of the “avant-garde” of French design from this period.
For example, there will be two works by Pierre Paulin. The artist’s personal “water lily cup”, of which only three were ever produced, and his famous cm193 desk. These two works were part of the exhibition dedicated to Paulin in 2016, organized by the Georges Pompidou’s Center. The only known Diamant salon, designed by the couple Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline Lecoq, will be displayed with one of the rarest desks by Joseph André Motte.
The gallery’s main speciality, which has always been focusing on French lighting from the 1950’s, will be on display with some of the most emblematic works by famous designer Pierre Guariche. Such as his G23 double-balanced floor lamp or his G25 “cerf-volant” wall lamp. It will also be embodied by works of Robert Mathieu. Indeed, the gallery will present its new book on Robert Mathieu’s lighting fixtures, published in November, in a joint venture between Éditions Pascal Cuisinier and Silvana Editoriale. Many of the works photographed in the book will be exhibited for the occasion, such as, an exceptional double-balance wall lamp. As per today Robert Mathieu was the first ever designer to invent this system. Based on our knowledge, only three examples are known in the world today.
This designers’ generation was stamped by an unprecedented innovation and creativity in terms of form, aesthetics and technique. The quality of the work at the beginning of the “thirty glorious” marked a return to prosperity. At the time, their cost and radicalism did not reach the general public. As a result, these works were rarely produced and their distribution remained confidential. That’s why, today they have become extremely rare. The “Galerie Pascal Cuisinier”, therefore, hopes that collectors at this exceptional exhibition will recognize the qualities of these works, in a market that is still under construction, but tense due to the absence of pieces on the market.
