Jean Puiforcat

Descartes (Amsterdam)

Jean Elysée Puiforcat (pronounced pwee-for-KAH) (5 August 1897 – 20 October 1945) was a French silversmith, sculptor and designer.[1] Miller's Antiques Encyclopedia calls Puiforcat the "most important French Art Deco silversmith."[2]

Life and career

Puiforcat served in World War I. After the war, he apprenticed as a silversmith and a designer. He lived in Paris. He designed in the art deco style. His silver work had smooth surfaces and was based on the geometric series. Ivory, onyx, lapis lazuli, and rosewood were used to decorate pieces. He also used gilding. Puiforcat left Paris and moved to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, around 1927.[1] In 1928, he co-founded the Union des Artistes Modernes.[3] He started designing tableware and by 1934 he also had designed liturgical silver. In 1941, he moved to Mexico. After his move, he started exhibiting in the United States.[1]

Legacy

Andy Warhol collected Puiforcat silverware, which he acquired while visiting Paris in the 1970s. In 1988, Warhol memorabilia was sold at Sotheby's. The collection sold for $451,000 and a tureen with an aventurine decoration sold for $55,000.[3] Work by Puiforcat is held in the collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.[4][5] A chain of boutiques is named after him, which sell his designs and sculptures.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gordon Campbell (9 November 2006). The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts: Two-volume Set. Oxford University Press. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-19-518948-3. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  2. ↑ Beazley, Mitchell (2003). Miller's Antiques Encyclopedia. London: Credo Reference. Retrieved 3 October 2012. (subscription required)
  3. 1 2 Ross, Nancy L. (29 September 1988). "Art Deco Revisited". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  4. ↑ Jean Elysée Puiforcat | People | Collection of Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
  5. ↑ Puiforcat, Jean Elisée | Name | V&A Search the Collections
  6. ↑ Loukin, Andrea. "Silver shop, Paris: a boutique for Puiforcat by Jean-Pierre Hein. (Brief Article)." Interior Design. Interior Design Media Group LLC. 1991. HighBeam Research. 3 Oct. 2012. (subscription required)
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