Gilles Derain pair of metal coffee tables edition Lumen 1986

Pair of low tables Agathe designed by Gilles Derain in 1986 for Lumen Center. As the artistic director of the brand at that time, he pushed the boundaries of French postmodernism with this table featuring a sculptural silhouette. Entirely made of matte black lacquered metal, its carefully considered proportions and lack of ornamentation create an asymmetrical balance of forms, reinforced by this monochrome that imposes negative space in your room, playing between shadow and light. The top appears to almost float above two lateral volumes that serve simultaneously as legs and counterweights. They are in superb condition, fully restored in our workshop. Gilles Derain is a French designer trained at the Beaux-Arts, an important figure in French postmodernism of the 1980s. He co-founded Lumen Center in 1976 and became its artistic director. Self-taught, he honed his skills through sales, originally as a dealer in paintings. He developed his unique eye through collecting, studying his finds. He was one of the first to bring attention back to the artists of the UAM. Inspired by great names such as Pierre Chareau, Robert Mallet-Stevens, and even Jacques Adnet, he developed a singular universe blending French modernism, Bauhaus, and Asian influences. He is distinguished by his ability to give materials an almost organic presence, without ever sacrificing the precision of his lines. The MCP floor lamp (Merci Pierre Chareau), which has become one of his most emblematic works, is held in the permanent collections of the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts. This distinction confirms the unique place Gilles Derain occupies in the landscape of European postmodernism. Literature: François Mathey, Au bonheur des formes. Design français 1945–1992, Éditions du Regard, Paris, 1992, page 150.