At Design Miami/ Basel next week, Patrick Seguin gallery will present the Maxéville Design Office by Jean Prouvé. Prior to its restoration in 2015, the demountable house remained on the historic site of Ateliers Jean Prouvé in Maxéville in Eastern France since its inception 1947.
Initially, Maxéville Design Office was created as a prototype for the reconstruction of Saint-Dié. It was to serve as a demonstration model for the Noisy-le-Sec experimental site. Entered into the Ministry of Reconstruction’s New House Competition in early 1947, the design ascertained the value in prefabricated housing. Finished and installed in 1952, the office echoed Prouvé’s avant-garde approach for business post WWII. Prouvé’s design reflects his early exploration of metal-working. The interior held a continuous motion with its openness from the interchangeable partitions and one-piece facing panels.
Cheng Ran.Courtesy of Audemars Piguet.
It had recently been located in an open field, before Patrick Seguin gallery dismantled and restored the 8-bt-x12 meter house for this year’s 2016 Design Miami/ Basel, open June 14-19.
