bluestocking
glue. Letting his imagination run wild yielded furniture
that was “the opposite of straight, sober, clean lines; it
[was] furniture made up of organic cells; all I did was
reveal their esthetic quality.”
An amalgam of art deco and pop futurism, some
memorable designs include one cabinet that resembles
a fencer’s mask and another that takes on the form of a
champignon. Metallics, vis-à-vis chrome accents, and
laboriously applied colored lacquer added a space-age
factor that suggested speed and purity. (“Lacquer is like
skin you want to touch,” muses Cardin.) Other times,
wengé, macassar ebony or lemon wood were finished
with a clear varnish to impart shine and accent the
natural beauty of the grain. Following haute couture
principles, the furniture was painstakingly crafted in
small runs of eight to 10 pieces. But, as with his clothing,
after securing a place for his couture housewares, he
went on to debut a junior line of furnishings in 1979,
bringing high design to the common man long before
Michael Graves and Isaac Mizrahi hit Target.
Equally captivating is the smooth still photography
that runs throughout. The images, one to a page,
against a crisp white or glossy black backdrop, ooze
with the sentiment of their creator in the clean,
uncluttered composition and unique viewpoints that
photographers Jerome Faggiano and Nils Herrmann
present. Some archival, some newly commissioned,
there are aerial views of black lacquered chests, a
striped metallic silver conference table shot from an
aerodynamic perspective, an asymmetrical, angular
close-up of a shelving unit with wing-like overhangs.
This “skewed” positioning underscores the sculptural
quality of Cardin’s oeuvre and the idea that, like art,
they’re meant to be appreciated from every angle.
Snapshots of the mastermind at work, be it at a desk
sketching or putting the finishing touches on a piece,
offer a glimpse of the man behind the machine. And to
give readers a wholesome feel for his aesthetic, pictures of
clothing, watches and jewelry are peppered throughout.
Saving the best for last, we are invited to Cardin’s
Palais Bulles (Bubble Palace) in the Côte d’Azur in
the book’s final pages. Designed to resemble a living
organism in a sci-fi fantasy, it is the perfect ending, or
beginning, depending on how you look at it c Manon
Kavesky Pierre Cardin Evolution: Furniture and
Design, Benjamin Loyauté, 224 pages, $75/hardcover,
Flammarion
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