“Cerf-volant” floor lamp, by P.Guariche, Ed. Atelier P. Disderot, France 1952

Bibliography: Lumières, je pense à vous, exhibition catalog, Centre Pompidou, Paris, June 3 – August 5, 1985, p. 137, n. 104
Patrick Favardin, Les Décorateurs des années 50, Paris, 2002, p. 213
Clémence and Didier Krzentowski, The Complete Designer’s Lights (1950-1990), Paris, 2012, pp. 78-79.

Biography

Pierre Guariche, France (1926-1995)

Designer and legendary interior architect of the 20th century, Pierre Guariche is one of the most creative and fruitful creators of furniture and lighting, combining aesthetics and mass production.

Born in Paris in 1926, Pierre Guariche studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. After the Second World War, he joined a group of young French designers seeking a modern alternative to traditional French decorative arts. Between 1953 and 1057, he collaborated with Joseph-André Motte and Michel Mortier under the acronym ARP (Atelier des Recherches Plastiques), designing furniture in innovative materials and forms. At the same time, he began working for major design companies such as Airborne, Meubles TV, Huchers-Minvielle, Disderot and Steiner. In the late 1950s, Pierre Guariche became chief designer at the Belgian company Meurop, where he concentrated on developing elegant, low-cost furniture.

To find out more, read the Wikipedia page.

Story

Pierre Disderot, France (1920-1991)

Born in 1920, Pierre Disderot was one of the pioneers of modern lighting. After studying at the Arts Décoratifs and the École Boulle, he founded his lighting company « Atelier Pierre Disderot » in 1947. Inspired by the creations of Scandinavian lighting designers, he developed a style for contemporary decorative lighting. His approach quickly caught on with current demand. As an industrialist, he collaborated with his designer friends of the time, René-Jean Caillette, Pierre Guariche, Pierre Paulin and Alain Richard, who created, designed and entrusted him with numerous lighting fixtures for publication. At the same time, he worked on prestigious projects, such as the lighting for many of the rooms on the ocean liner Liberté.