Jean Royère, Pair of "Yo-Yo" Side Tables

DeLorenzo Gallery, New York

Peter M. Brant and Stephanie Seymour, New York, 1998

Sotheby's New York, PROUVÉ x BASQUIAT: Art and Design from the Collection of Peter M. Brant and Stephanie Seymour, December 8, 2021, lot 42

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Axel de Heeckeren, ed., Jean Royère, Paris, 1985, p. 28

Pierre Passebon, Jean Royère: Mobilier, exh. cat., Galerie du Passage, Paris, 1992, p. 132 (for a related "Yo-Yo" table model)

Galerie Jacques Lacoste and Galerie Patrick Seguin, eds., Jean Royère: Volume 2, Paris, 2012, p. 68 (for a related "Yo-Yo" table model)

Following a passion from childhood, Jean Royère began decorating and designing furniture at the age of 29, following the encouragement of Louis Metman, the curator of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Royère’s early commissions already showed his uncanny yet brilliant abilities to draw inspiration from a variety of sources, producing enduring and undeniably modern creations. Royère stated that he never believed that he subscribed to only one style of design. While his designs show influences from the Modern style surrounding him in the 1930s onward, Royère manages to create a sense of timelessness in all of his designs.

Once proclaiming, “The secret of good decoration lies in its absence, or rather in its extreme simplicity,” Royère’s design ethos did not stray far from his contemporaries such as Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier who also favored extreme simplicity and admonished ornamentation for the sake of ornamentation. Yet Royère’s designs are distinguished by his infusion of whimsy and elegance. His decoration came in the form of embellishing with sumptuous materials and voluminous, biomorphic upholstered forms.

Royère designed luxurious yet comfortable interiors, noting “The client has to feel relaxed and at ease when he’s at home.” His ability to seamlessly integrate comfort with style is a testament to his enduring legacy. This is evidenced in many of his popular forms, such as the “Ours Polaire” furniture series. The present “Yo-Yo” Consoles prominently feature the playful design elements that have contributed to his fame and enduring popularity among collectors and design enthusiasts. Defined by the interplay of straight and curved lines, the present form is a classic example of Royère’s artistic ethos. Exceedingly rare, the present model, originating from the collection of Peter M. Brant and Stephanie Seymour, is a precious collector’s item and exceptionally pure design by the French cabinetmaker.