Janine Abraham, the grande dame of French rattan

Janine Abraham (1929-2005) is one of the most singular French designers of the post-war boom. A graduate of the École Camondo, she signed as a duo with her husband Dirk Jan Rol pieces where woven rattan became a modern design material. Their Soleil armchair (1958) in rattan and steel, awarded at the Brussels World's Fair, remains their most iconic piece. Bookshelves, chairs and desks where rattan is treated with the same formal rigour as noble materials would follow, a unique signature of 1960s French design.