JEAN -LOUIS AVRIL .
Known best for his work in lacquered cardboard, - Avril designed an immense collection of simple and playful furniture and objects. His reimagining of this mundane material instilled a newfound whimsy in a product traditionally associated with packaging, and thus brought the material center stage in the international design community.
Avril was born in Saint-Nazaire, France, in 1935.
He studied at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, where he received a degree in architectural design. For further learning, he trained under architects Paul Herbé and Edouard Albert. During his apprenticeship he also became acquainted with the iconic architect and furniture designer Jean Prouvé.
These French designers, especially Prouvé, were known for their use of sleek and minimal silhouettes and expressive relationships between solids and voids. The impact that these mentors had on Avril's work is clear. Similar to Prouvé’s, o Avril’s designs included volumetric forms that were juxtaposed with cutout and enclosed space, but he also introduced his own sense of playfulness and minimalism.
A major moment in Jean-Louis Avril’s career came in 1967,
Interior designer Andrée Putman approached him about furnishing a Saint-Tropez clothing store completely in Celloderme. This commission included several lacquered cardboard pieces, referred to as the Container Furniture collection. Featured in Elle magazine.
Between 1967 and 1973, dozens of Avril’s designs were then picked up and manufactured by Marty L.A.C. The publicization of his work gained him much popularity and opened opportunities to exhibit in the French Pavilion during the Montreal International Exhibition, - at the 1968 Milan Triennale, - and at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris.
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TEXT CREDITS / INSPIRATION . TAYLOR SCOOT ROSS
