PIERRE GUARICHE (1926 – 1995)
Rare sofa bed
Manufactured by Airbone
France, 1960s
Steel, upholstery
Measurements
216 cm x 83 cm x 80h cm
85.04 in. x 32.68 in x 31.5h in
Provenance
Private collection, France
Biography
The architect Pierre Guariche was one of the leading modern furniture and lighting designers of postwar France. Guariche helped introduce a new aesthetic to the country’s interiors and he was an eager pioneer in the use of new industrial materials and production techniques that emerged in the 1950s. Guariche studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Two years after graduating in 1949, Gua- riche opened his own design firm, and he was soon creating pieces for numerous companies.
Wood and metal were rationed in the years following the war and Guariche learned to do more with less. Always on the lookout for new materials, Guariche spent several years in the mid-1950s operating a firm making furniture in fiberglass and other plastic. While Guariche always kept pace with his times, throughout his career he showed a consistent talent for producing elegant, eye-catching forms using a minimum of materials.