292 - André Dubreuil (1951–2022)
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Estimate €7,000 - €8,000

Description

André Dubreuil (1951–2022) Spine Chair Chair A sculptural metal structure, comprising a series of curved elements evoking a spinal column 1986 Dimensions: to be completed H88 W55 D74 cm Designed in 1986, the Spine Chair is one of André Dubreuil’s most iconic creations. Only around fifty examples were originally produced before the design was reissued by Ceccotti with significant aesthetic modifications. This chair is one of the first fifty, with an unfinished finish identical to the version held in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection. Now featured in the collections of the V&A, the Vitra Design Museum and the MFA in Boston, the Spine Chair has established itself as an iconic piece of 1980s design. This example, in a remarkable state of original condition, offers a rare opportunity to acquire a museum-quality piece by one of the most visionary designers of his generation. André Dubreuil (1951–2022) was a French artist, designer and craftsman known for his baroque and sculptural approach to furniture design. Born in Lyon, he studied interior design in London and Paris before beginning his career in interior decoration and antiques. In the early 1980s, Dubreuil became involved in the ‘Creative Salvage’ movement in London, alongside figures such as Tom Dixon. It was during this period that he discovered metalwork, a turning point that led him to create his first iconic pieces, including the Spine Chair (1986), made from bent and welded steel. Rejecting minimalism, he favours ornate and evocative forms, often using recycled materials. His work blends classical references with a punk-tinged irreverence, creating pieces at the intersection of sculpture and furniture. From the late 1980s onwards, he gained international renown and held numerous exhibitions. In 1992, Dubreuil returned to France, where he set up a studio in the Périgord, continuing to produce unique works until his death in 2022. Rejecting mass production, Dubreuil saw himself more as a craftsman than a designer, committed to the expressive potential of handcrafted creation. Examples of this model are held in the following public collections: ◦ Fonds National d’Art Contemporain (France), ◦ Victoria and Albert Museum (United Kingdom), ◦ Vitra Design Museum (Germany), ◦ Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (USA), ◦ Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (USA), ◦ Brooklyn Museum (USA) Examples of this model have been featured in the following exhibitions: ◦ “Design 1950–1990: Fifty Acquisitions from the National Contemporary Art Fund”, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France, 15 June – 23 September 1992 ◦ “Collectible Seating”, Paris Exhibition Centre, France, 8 January – 12 January 2004 ◦ “Design versus Design”, National Galleries of the Grand Palais, Paris, France, 26 September 2007 – 7 January 2008 Bibliography: Claire Downey, *Neo Furniture*, Thames & Hudson, London, 1992, p. 56. Charlotte & Peter Fiell, *Modern Chairs*, Taschen, Paris, 1993, p. 124. Pierre Kjellberg, 20th-Century Furniture, Paris, 1994, p. 181. Charlotte & Peter Fiell, 1000 Chairs, Cologne, 1997, p. 602. Yvonne Brunhammer & Marie-Laure Perrin, French Furniture 1960–1998, Paris, 1998, p. 43. Jean-Louis Gaillemin, *André Dubreuil: Poet of Iron*, Norma, Paris, 2006, pp. 38–41. Charlotte & Peter Fiell, *Modern Classics: Postwar to Postmodernism*, London, 2001, p. 159. Anne Bony, Furniture and Interiors of the 1980s, Éditions du Regard, Paris, 2010, p. 95. Provenance: Galerie Néotù, Private French collection

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About the sale Sculptural furniture and functional art

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Auction time 09/27/2026 at 2:30 PM

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292 - André Dubreuil (1951–2022) See original version (French)

292 - André Dubreuil (1951–2022)
See original version (French)