Jean-Michel Frank (1895-1941) is a legendary figure in the decorative arts. His style described as "poor luxury" is just as paradoxical as his life between parties and solitude, with loyal friendships for poets, artists who were decisive in the development of his aesthetic, but also his clients, people of the world of fashion or intellectuals. Forcing them to get rid of their objects, their paintings and their carpets, Frank invented for them places conducive to meditation and dreams, furniture of perfect simplicity, close to a French neoclassicism stripped of its ornaments. Indifferent to the great debates of the first half of a 20th century, Jean-Michel Frank did not seek to build a new world or to cling to a nostalgic past. With elegance, he broke conventions, cleaned up the places of their history. Perhaps it is this mixture of lightness and rigor, of dreams and poetry, this very current diversion of objects and materials that have led so many decorators and contemporary designers to claim him.

Text in French.

Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier holds a doctorate in art history. He taught at the Sorbonne, before devoting himself to writing monographs on the works of Jean Royère, Jean-Michel Frank and Max Ingrand. Expert recognized for his work on subjects such as the decorative arts, Alberto Giacometti or surrealism, he participates in numerous conferences and writes reference articles. He joined Christie’s in 2010 as a specialist in the Impressionist and Modern Art department, then was appointed to Paris as Director of Twentieth Century Arts in 2015.