Height: 27" - Width: 63" - Depth: 22.5"
Black lacquered steel, copper, upholstery
This iconic model designed by the young Charlotte Perriand, together with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, was manufactured by Thonet-France from 1930 to 1937 and sold under the reference B306. Thonet-France produced two versions of the seat: a "luxury" edition with a mattress supported by metal slats, and a "series" edition with fabric stretched directly over the frame.
While this chaise is from the "series" edition, it was clearly customized: in the 1930s the standard treatment for the tubular structure was twice copper-plating, then nickel-plating, and finally chrome-plating. This example was likely made to satisfy a client’s preference for a coppery appearance. The beige fabric with mattress is probably a later addition, postdating the 1930s.
Provenance:
Collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé.
The original owner of this chaise is unknown. The great fashion designer and art collector Yves Saint Laurent purchased it in the 1970s. Around 1975–1980, interior designer Jacques Grange was commissioned to furnish Yves Saint Laurent’s private studio on Avenue de Breteuil in Paris, where this chaise, already part of the fashion designer’s collection, was placed. In the early 1980s, the photographer Duane Michals captured Yves Saint Laurent seated in this chaise in his studio. During this decade, the piece was moved to his hôtel particulier on rue Spontini in Paris, as documented in a photo report published in the September 1988 issue of Architectural Digest. The chaise likely remained there until his passing in 2008. Afterward, the chaise was sent by his longtime life-partner, Pierre Bergé, to furnish their New York pied-à-terre, the Hôtel Pierre. This would indicate a certain attachment to the chaise, as most of the other possessions went to auction. Upon Pierre Bergé’s passing in 2017, the piece passed to his husband and heir.
Bibliography:
Yves Saint Laurent, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, December 14, 1983-September 2, 1984, Crown publishers, New York, 1983. A photograph taken by Duane Michals, showing Yves Saint Laurent seated in this chaise in his private studio on Avenue de Breteuil, is featured on page 21.
- Architectural Digest, September 1988. This chaise can be seen in Yves Saint Laurent’s bedroom at his hôtel particulier on rue Spontini in Paris on page 186.
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to architect Mr. Arthur Rüegg, foremost specialist, and author of several authoritative books, on the work of Charlotte Perriand, for generously sharing his knowledge regarding this rare and authentic example from the 1930s, long recognized and documented by him.
