Composed of sleek metal tube and a fur-lined top, this chaise longue by Jean Royère is a testament to the designer’s uncontrived mid-century French elegance. Royère began his career in the import-export business, but it was a nagging desire for the artistic sphere and a nudge from the curator at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs that drew him to interior design at the age of 29. Without formal experience or training, he sought work as a cabinetmaker in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine neighborhood in northeastern Paris, where he honed skills that complemented his innate flair for design. From these early years Royère devised a modern stylistic language that blended functionality and sophistication, and his oeuvre attracted a vast and international clientele.

At the 1937 Exposition internationale des arts et techniques dans la vie moderne, Royère was designated as one of Paris’ most creative and original decorators. This acclaim resulted in a series of commissions during the Paris World’s Fair, one of which took place at the Pavillon des Artistes décorateurs that same year, where Royère designed two ensembles: the “Coin de repos pour l'été” and “Coin de repos pour l’hiver”. The present chaise longue was designed for and exhibited at this very “Summer resting nook”. It was then acquired after the fair and remained in the hands of the original family until acquired recently by the present owners.

This Paris World’s Fair presentation would serve as an aesthetic precursor for Royère’s body of work, as it channeled the curvilinear cool that became emblematic of many of his designs. Royere eschewed ornamentation; it was by playing with the very structure of the piece that he imbued his pieces with a sense of whimsy. He bends a straight line into a curved one, and the work takes on an unprecedented dynamism. Of Royère’s most iconic creations, the “Liane” light fixture (1962) and “Ours Polaire” sofa (circa 1950), epitomize this inventive technique. The present chaise longue is an early demonstration of his ability to transform pieces of furniture with his poetic use of form.