Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design | The Jewish Museum

Pierre Chareau rose from modest beginnings in Bordeaux to become one of the most sought after designers in France. Creating custom furniture and interiors for an elite clientele that included leading figures of the French-Jewish intelligentsia, Chareau uniquely balanced the opulence of traditional French decorative arts with the clean lines and industrial materials of Modernism. Through his highly distinctive artistic language, Chareau established himself at the intersection of tradition and innovation, becoming a major figure in 20th century design.

Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design proposes a fresh look at the internationally recognized designer in order to showcase his beautiful pieces in a fuller cultural context between the wars, highlighting his circle of influential patrons, engagement with the period’s foremost artists, and designs for the film industry. Chareau’s active patronage of the arts—and his collection of paintings, sculptures, and drawings by significant artists such as Lipchitz, Mondrian, Chagall, and Modigliani—will be another important aspect of the exhibition.

The exhibition will also explore the enduring consequences of Chareau’s flight from Nazi persecution, the dispersal of many of his pieces during and after World War II, and his attempts to rebuild his career while in exile in New York during the 1940s.