Joseph-André Motte / J14 lamppost
Joseph-André Motte was born in 1925 in the Hautes-Alpes, but it was in Paris at the School of Applied Arts to Industry that he studied under the direction of Louis Sognot and René Gabriel, two of the great masters of French modernity.
He graduated top of his class in 1948 and in 1952 joined the workshop of Marcel Gascoin, the third great French modern master. It was there that he met Pierre Guariche and Michel Mortier, with whom he developed a friendship and a deep professional partnership. Together, they founded the Atelier de Recherche Plastique (ARP) in 1954 to offer French manufacturers practical, comfortable, modern furniture at a reasonable price.
Joseph-André Motte went on to develop a highly prestigious career, becoming one of the most important figures in contemporary design during the second half of the twentieth century. He radically reinterpreted traditional materials like rattan, redesigned the layout of post-war French apartments, and created a revolutionary range of seating for Steiner. His initial designs included a folding armchair to be delivered disassembled in a cardboard box, a chair made entirely of metal tubing covered with molded foam and a removable cover, and an exceptional range of furniture made entirely of stainless steel.
While this great agency head is undoubtedly the one who created the most models for French design, his career was also crowned by numerous prestigious commissions. Joseph-André Motte designed most of the major French airports, was commissioned to redesign more than a hundred metro stations (the Motte style, with its seats and lighting fixtures, still equips many stations today), and was often called upon to collaborate with the Mobilier National for the furnishing of national palaces.
He designed two series of light fixtures for the Pierre Disderot workshops, one in white glass with a distinctly Japanese influence, the other in folded plexiglass sheets stretched between brass rods. These designs reveal both the great concern for the quality of light so dear to these functionalist designers and the meticulous attention Joseph-André Motte devoted throughout his life to detail, materials, and the pursuit of perfect proportion.
This floor lamp, made of double-layered opaque glass, was created in 1957. Its minimalist elegance is complemented by a luxurious finish in patinated brass and white marble.
Designer: Joseph-André Motte
Publisher: Ateliers Disderot
Dimensions: 30 x 165 x 30 cm