Jean-Michel Frank, Hermès and New York
"OHMYGAWD!", I hit a high note. "What now?" my grumpy husband complained.
"I have goose bumps. Furniture items by the legendary designer Jean Michel-Frank are being reissued here in the United States."
My husband shoots me an incredulous look momentarily pulling his head away from a basketball game on tv. clickety-clack went the heels of my little shoes across the stained Brazilian wood plank floors. I leaned my head against the window and stared out into the empty street.
"I have goose bumps. Furniture items by the legendary designer Jean Michel-Frank are being reissued here in the United States."
My husband shoots me an incredulous look momentarily pulling his head away from a basketball game on tv. clickety-clack went the heels of my little shoes across the stained Brazilian wood plank floors. I leaned my head against the window and stared out into the empty street.
Frank's harmonious forms, simple lines, exotic veneers and soft palette embody great design. His works have been widely copied but rarely matched. Each item he created is understated, but resonates immense power and depth.In 1924 Frank collaborated with Hermès on a collection of furniture. His restrained club chairs and sofas have been endlessly copied since that time -- they are stark, exquisitely proportioned forms wrapped in the most luxurious finishes.
The short, slight, nervous, and intense, self-taught designer who walked on the balls of his feet spouting bits of poetry, and known to dress in drag to formal occasions was THE designer and decorator of the Parisian haute-monde of the 1930s and 40s.In spite of his immense talent and success, his life was tragic and full of heart break. He died at the young age of 46; what other miracles would we have had from him had he lived longer?
On March 8, 1941 Frank’s body was found lifeless on the sidewalk at Third Avenue and 63rd Street. A cousin had to identify him. The New York Times found fit to only run a 100-word obituary about the greatest furniture designer of his generation. His name from then on was consigned to oblivion.
The design cognoscenti in the 1970s quietly appreciated "le style Frank" and thankfully, many of us will too. Those distinctive cubic designs with leather and wood veneers have been re-issued and will soon again be available in the New York Hermès store in April.
Vivre Jean-Michel Frank!(top image from T Magazine, photo of JMF scanned from Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier's Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco Period, and remaining two images from Luxist.)
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