René Gabriel (1890-1950) - Dining room table known as disaster relief table, 1940

René Gabriel (1890-1950) Dining table known as the disaster victims' or La Reconstruction table In oak Design from the 1940s Height: 72.5cm Length: 134.5cm Width: 74.5cm Very good general condition, wear *Born in Maison Alfort in Paris, decorative artist and designer. During the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925, he was commissioned to design the Young Girl's Room in the living room of the French Embassy. In the 1920s, he also began designing wallpapers using block prints of flowers, landscapes and abstract paintings. After the Second World War, between 1939 and 1945, he played an important role in the reconstruction of Le Havre, for which he was commissioned by the architect Auguste Perret to design furniture. He was president of the Society of Decorative Artists and director of the studio at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs. In 1949, he was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor. His clean, logical style inspired many new designers in the years following World War II. In his honor, the René Gabriel Prize was created in 1951 to recognize modern designs that could be mass-produced. Many famous designers have received this award, including Marcel Gascoin, Henri Meyer, René-Jean Caillette, Jacques Hauville, Roger Landault, Pierre Gautier Delaye, and Pierre Guaariche, and the prize is still awarded to French designers today.