René Herbst : Pionnier Du Mouvement Moderne

René Herbst (1891-1982) was a pioneer of modernism in France in the early 1920s. He trained as an architect and later as a decorator, and belonged to a small avant-garde that was able to identify the aesthetic possibilities of industrial materials very early on. Nicknamed "the man of steel" because of his collaboration with the Office technique pour l'utilisation de l'acier (OTUA), his furniture and fittings made extensive use of these new materials, which enabled him to create a new formal language.

A man of conviction, founder of the UAM in 1929, Herbst wanted everyone, whatever their social level, to have access to domestic comfort, synonymous with progress for the individual. The diversity of his work bears witness to this creative impulse: exhibition stenographies, interior fittings for luxury boutiques (Madeleine Vionnet, Perugia), lighting and exhibition stands punctuate a brilliant career whose key words are simplicity and functionality. His famous bungee chair initiated his research into mass-produced furniture and ushered in the era of mass production.

By presenting the archives of the René Herbst collection held at the Bibliothèque des Arts Décoratifs, this book shows how this committed designer, the initiator of a new art of living, resolutely marked an era when being modern was a challenge.