The term ‘Design Art’ has undergone several incarnations since it was coined in the ‘80s with the emergence of radical movements and the rediscovery of handcraftsmanship in design. Today, it is defined as the intersection of fine art and functional objects, and only when design objects contain elements of fine arts can they be classified as ‘Design Art.’ The new series of chairs created by Pierre Yovanovitch and Claire Tabouret currently exhibited at PY new gallery in Paris certainly belongs in this category. They are presented in an exhibition entitled ‘Assymetry 10 ans.’
In Yovanovitch and Tabouret’s collaboration, each has brought their own visual identity and their talent to express the contemporary, successfully and seamlessly merging their narratives into one. The LA-based French artist Tabouret is represented with her famed figurative style—her expressive brushstrokes and references to childhood—while the Paris-based French designer Yovanovitch has given a new expression to his distinctive, personal French elegance and his love for a childlike vocabulary and looking at the world through naïve lenses. When dressing up the unique one-off series of 10 upholstered chairs called Asymmetry Chair to celebrate its 10th anniversary, both brought their love for jeweled colors, a presence of nature, and a strong sensuality.
The new gallery is impresive. Situted at the heart of Le Marais, the center of the contemporary art world in Paris, you walk into a space fulled with light, and you are surrouded by colorful kites and nature in jeweled colors. You know, it is time to smile. Each of the 10 unique chairs features a collage of textiles painted in a kite motif, a repeating feature in Yovanovich’s oeuvre. The upholstery was dyed according to the artist’s custom color selection by Manufacture Royale Bonvallet. The kites were then sewn by L’Atelier Caraco to create a meticulous collage composition. The chairs embody glamour in every way and have already found homes with those of impeccable taste and appreciation for French design.
I remember seeing that chair when it was first introduced by Yovanovitch in 2013. Then, he collaborated with Atelier Jouffre to bring his design that he had created using modeling clay to life. Reinventing French aesthetics with the inspiration of mid-century French furniture and particularly the work of Jean Royere has been apparent from the moment this form was born. After all, his love and passion for design history and the appreciation of French Purism has been at the core of his work. In fact, Yovanovitch’s success has been built upon his understanding of the zeitgeist and what it means to create contemporary design; revisiting history, forging identities, connecting to the most traditional crafts, and how to approach the familiar without losing the ability to construct memories. Tobouret has joined this journey and the two walk hand in hand when creating a world that allow us to dream again about our childhood.
Tabouret and Yovanovitch met when the designer began collecting her paintings for his chateau in South of France, and they soon became friends. “Having known Claire for a decade,” he told me, “the collection is in many ways a reflection of our friendship and creative synergy. The richness of her work and the common theme of childhood bring transience, poetry, color, and movement to this otherwise geometric, almost rock-like form.” You cannot resist but marvel at the artisanry of French craft specialists Atelier Jouffre, Manufacture Royale Bonvallet, and L’Atelier Caraco—all collaborated in crafting furniture in the French artisanal tradition.
The exhibition is open through October 26th, at 4, Passage Sainte-Avoye 75003 Paris.
