Rayonnage Mural Shelf – / Jean Prouvé, 1936 – L 118 X H 70 Cm – Vitra

Treat yourself to an ORIGINAL iconic piece by Vitra. An original will always hold its value. It will stay with you for your whole life and outlive you, being passed on to the next generation. Vitra expands the Jean Prouvé collection by introducing new, little-known models. Vitra is notably reissuing the Wall Shelving, designed by Prouvé in 1936. Wall-mounted bookcases were an integral part of interior decor in the first half of the 20th century. Jean Prouvé developed several storage units of this type, such as Wall Shelving, designed in 1936 for the National Professional School of Metz. The two vertical elements of Wall Shelving are in lacquered folded sheet metal. Their tapered shape, reminiscent of the rudder of an aeroplane or ship, is a recurring element in Jean Prouvé’s creations. These uprights have precise slots into which the wooden shelves slide. These two contrasting materials together make up very practical shelving that has the sculptural qualities of an aesthetic object. The metal uprights are available in a range of original colours developed by Jean Prouvé. The two oiled solid oak shelves give it a luxurious, comfortable touch. A self-taught architect with a passion for industrialising buildings, Jean Prouvé (1901 – 1984) is now considered a leading architect and one of the greatest designers of the 20th century, on a par with Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand. A pioneer, Prouvé played a major role in the development of mass production techniques in the European post-war modernist movement. Jean Prouvé developed a “constructive thought” based on a logic of series manufacturing and functionality to create an aesthetic that’s purified of all artifice. The designer has a wide portfolio of designs ranging from prefabricated homes to furniture for offices, classrooms and interiors. Jean Prouvé’s creations have become icons of the post-war period and have spanned the whole century. From the 1930s, Jean Prouvé immediately affirmed the particularity of his approach: manufacturing furniture in series on industrial machines. After starting out in fine ironwork, Jean Prouvé discovered electric welding and various shaping techniques which he applied to sheet steel, a material which allowed him to obtain a very solid “hollow body”. The use of this material is found in most of his furniture, such as the Wall Shelving.