Jean Prouvé

Jean Prouvé, 1901-1984:  Constructeur, Paris, 2001, p. 94 (for similar examples in the Maison Tropicale)
Laurence Allégret and Valérie Vaudou, eds., Jean Prouvé et Paris, Paris, 2001, p. 138 (for similar examples in the prototype Maison Tropicale)
Peter Sulzer, Jean Prouvé:  Oeuvre Complète/Complete Works, Volume 3:  1944-1954, Basel, 2005, figs. 15-18 and 1094.1,6 (for similar examples in the prototype Maison Tropicale)
Jean Prouvé:  The Poetics of the Technical Object, Milan, 2007, pp. 155, 157 and 210-211 (for similar examples in the Maison Tropicale)
Galerie Patrick Seguin, Jean Prouvé, Paris, 2007, vol. 2, p. 534 (for a similar example in the Maison Tropicale)

Overall, the doors are in very good condition with normal wear given their age. They have scratches, scuffs, bubbling and losses to paint, and wear throughout. There are also scattered dings to the metal (mostly to the edges). The green side of has colorless portholes, while the cream-colored side of the doors has cobalt blue glass. Each of the ventilation mechanisms turn with ease and the interior panels of the ventilation retain their wire mesh. The doors were most recently mounted in an architectural setting and therefore each of the doors on the green side with evidence of a white plaster material, easily removable with water. Surface dirt throughout.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present two examples were originally produced by the Atelier Jean Prouvé for the Maisons Tropicales, the pre-fabricated constructions Prouvé designed for use in Africa.  The doors presently offered were spare examples and never installed in the three realized structures.  They remained as stock at the Atelier in Maxéville when the factory closed in 1953.

Another pair of surplus doors was formerly in the collection of Robert Rubin and sold in the Équipement Intérieur auction held at Sotheby's in December 2004.