The Easel

22nd June 2021

Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life at the Design Museum

Kate Lawson | Toast | 2nd June 2021

Perriand’s contribution to design reads like modernism’s ‘Top 10’ ideas. Open plan living. Adaptable domestic spaces. The idea of equipping a space rather than decorating it. A flexible relationship between indoor and outdoor areas. On top of all that, she designed or co-designed iconic pieces of furniture, including some modular designs. Says the writer “a visionary who softly changed the world for the better”. Some designs are detailed here.

The fantastic animals of Lalanne come back to life in the gardens of Versailles

Staff | Numero | 12th May 2021

Les Lalanne were a French husband and wife sculpture duo prominent last century. While they worked separately, both featured nature themes in pieces that were “often figurative, and sometimes functional”. Most notable were their surrealist influenced bestiary such as a hippopotamus sculpture that opened to reveal a bathtub. The linked piece is not great; this short article by their gallery helps. (Blame Google Translate for the gender confusion)

The Two Frenchmen Behind America’s Leading Symbol

Anne Prah-Perochon | France-Amérique | 15th June 2021

The back story to the Statue of Liberty. An anti-slavery lawyer came up with the idea and a sculptor produced the design. Plans to model the figure on a Delacroix painting were rejected, so the sculptor turned instead to his mother and his girlfriend. At over 100 tons, the serious structural issues were successfully solved by one Alexandre Eiffel, whose ideas were based on bridge pylons. His profile thus enhanced, his next project was a certain tall steel tower.

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