French Designer Jean Dunand

April 1, 2015

The French Art Deco of Jean Dunand

Jazz Age Art Deco lacquered metal vase – Jean Dunand, 1925

Met, NY

Jean Dunand was born in Switzerland in 1877. He trained as a sculptor at the École des Arts Industriels de Genève from 1891-1896. This was followed in 1897 by an apprenticeship at the studio of the Burgundian Art Nouveau sculptor, Jean-Auguste Dampt, who introduced him to the notion of design production for interior decoration and furnishing. In 1904/1905, Dunand shifted his focus from sculpture to the ancient craft of dinanderie, a late medieval metal craft using copper, brass and bronze, which originated in Belgium.

Around 1912 Dunand began his creative foray into lacquer work, sharing his intimate knowledge of the art of dinanderie with Japanese artist Seizo Sugawara, who in return taught him the closely-guarded secrets of the traditional Japanese technique of urushi – surface lacquering.
During 1925, Jean Dunand began to experiment with the technique of incorporating minute bits of eggshell fragments, from hen, duck and partridge eggs, to tremendous effect, into his lacquered designs. He championed the revival of the ancient oriental craft of coquille d’oeuf, the applying of eggshell to lacquered works. His original technique was utilized in the manufacture of enameled vases, trays, multi-paneled side screens and wall panels.
Dunand skillfully combined the artistry of Oriental lacquer work with European decorative designs and his approach to lacquering metal and wood was ideal for presenting the clean angles and sharp geometric lines of the streamlined Art Deco, along with creating the vivid colours and intense contrasts essential in the Cubist/Deco styles.

Art Deco ovoid vase with eggshell shards and lacquer decoration – Jean Dunand

Dunand often collaborated with other designers and artists, including Wiener Werkstatte and Séraphin Soudbinine. Other notable French painters, sculptors, and illustrators who supplied pictorial programs for screens and decorative panels that Dunand rendered in lacquer were Georges Barbier, Jean Goulden, Paul Jouve, Jean Lambert-Rucki, Gustav Miklos, and François-Louis Schmied.

During his lifetime his artistic achievements were recognized and he exhibited regularly at the Salons de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts as well as at the Salon d’Automne. From 1904 the Museé des Arts Décoratifs in Paris purchased his work and is now found in museums worldwide. Jean Dunand became an influential designer and visionary for French Art Deco, and his artistic virtuosity and craftsmanship was exquisite. He successfully embraced the shift from traditional ornamental styles to modernist designs that were bold and less complex, while integrating Africanist, Futurist, Cubist details and innovative materials.

Lacquered Art Deco vase with geometric lines – Jean Dunand

French Art Deco lacquered radio cabinet with abstract decoration – Jean Dunand

1930

Loft Concept

Ovoid lacquered vase by Jean Dunand

Kelly Gallery

Oblong Egyptian Revival checkered red lacquered brassware and black mother of pearl, with a bronze tripod base.

Jean Dunand

Pair of enamel lacquered Art Deco vases – Jean Dunand

Art Deco Paravent “Lac Bleu” by Jean Dunand 1928

Deux Vases Monumentaux- Jean Dunand

1925

Lacquered metal Jazz Age vase – Jean Dunand

1926

Handpainted sea life decoration on a black lacquer vase – Jean Dunand

Anne Hauck Art Deco

Pianissimo and Fortissimo – black lacquer screen with eggshell, gold and mother of pearl inlay

Séraphin Soudbinine & Jean Dunand – 1925 /1926

French Art Deco lacquered metal vase – Jean Dunand

1925

Black lacquer drum table, eggshell highlights – Jean Dunand

Geometric patterned vase – Jean Dunand

circa 1925

Black lacquer metal vase, eggshell patterns – Jean Dunand

Red/black lacquer vase – Jean Dunand

1925

Félix Marcilhac’s Paris apartment

Jean Dunand cabinet (1921) and Ozzip Zadkine´s ‘Jeune Fille á la Colombe’ (1928) gold plated statue. Painting by Gustave Miklos ‘Figures et Chien’ (1921).

Photograph by Jerome Galland