André Bloc, theoretician, artist, and founder of the magazines L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui and Art Aujourd'hui, also designed bold furniture in organic shapes that was typical of the 1950s. His Bellevue chair is a fine example of a useful object that serves anatomical needs without compromising its beauty. It consists of a single piece of varnished or lacquered plywood moulded into an S-shape and mounted onto a steel frame. There are two bases: One has two separate bent rear legs slightly curved backwards at floor level, while the V-shaped version shown here allows for greater stability. The chair was manufactured and marketed by Marcel Michaux (1898–1958) through his Galerie M.A.I (Meuble, Architecture, Installation) at 12 rue Bonaparte – one of the few places in 1950s Paris to present the work of young French designers. Michaux was also director of the Folklore gallery in Lyon. The number of copies made of the Bellevue chair is not known, since the M.A.I archives have been lost, but it would not have exceeded a small series.
Text: Karine Lacquemant
