N/A Rene Herbst Desk, 1943

Desk by Rene Herbst.

Desk designed originally as part of a commission for Maison De La Chimie, Paris, 1943. Painted steel frame with chrome-plated fixings and height-adjustable foot. The top surface/writing pad is in compacted rubber. The desk shows signs of age, the paint finish is worn and the writing surface patinated. It is likely a drawer set may have been attached at some point in its history. The desk formed part of a range of tables utilising the same functional frame work and deep top. The detailing to highlight junctions acts as symbolic decoration to an otherwise strict and minimal design

Born in Paris in 1891, René Herbst studied architecture in London and Frankfurt. Herbst created a revolutionary range of seating in 1927 called ‘Chaise Sandows’. Using nickel plated tubular steel frames, the seat and back was made of rubbers strips with hooks attached to the frame. The designs were launched at the 1929 Salon d’Automne at the same time Le Corbusier presented his tubular furniture designs. His designs formed part of research into serial production and future aims for mass production.

In 1930 Herbst joined Robert Mallet-Stevens and Francis Jourdain in founding the Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM); a large group of artists and designers committed to modernism. He was elected chairman of UAM in 1945. Rene Herbst is recognised as one of the most important modernists of the pre-war era and his work forms part of many museum collections including MOMA.

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Dimensions:
112.5w x 70d x 79cmh