Cabinetmaker, artist and decorator, Louis Majorelle is an artist who is part of the Art Nouveau movement, an artistic movement of the early 20th century of which his house, the Villa Majorelle in Nancy, is a perfect example.
Cabinetmaker, artist and decorator, Louis Majorelle is an artist who is part of the Art Nouveau movement, an artistic movement of the early 20th century of which his house, the Villa Majorelle in Nancy, is a perfect example.
Born in Toul, west of Nancy, Louis Majorelle studied at the Beaux-Arts in Paris before returning to Nancy after his father's death. He then took over the family business, a furniture factory. Majorelle will then divide his production into two branches: one producing luxury furniture and the other mass production furniture, cheaper and more accessible to the general public. In 1901, together with Emile Gallé, he founded the Ecole de Nancy, the temple of the Art Nouveau artistic movement which is still very famous today.
Louis Majorelle is one of the representatives of Art Nouveau, the movement that broke down the barrier between the so-called "major" and "minor" arts. With him, decorating and creating furniture became an art in its own right, in the same way as painting, an art that was no longer an isolated work of art, but one that had to be useful. Dominated by curves and arabesques, this style was inspired by the shapes of nature in reaction to the great period of industrialisation and metal played an important role.
This material, Louis Majorelle (after taking over the artistic direction of the company) will introduce it in his workshops to produce decorative objects in bronze, complementary to the wooden furniture.
Imagined by Majorelle, the villa Jika was built in Nancy by the architect Henri Sauvage. It takes its name from the initials of the creator's wife, Jane Kretz (JK), and responds to her wish to have a house that resembles her. With its numerous semicircular windows and floral motifs covering the exterior, the villa is a typical Art Nouveau architectural model. The ironwork as well as the interior furniture, the panelling and the majestic staircase were made by Majorelle himself.
The house was unfortunately destroyed by bombing during the First World War. The municipality of Nancy bought the house in 2003 and began renovation work in 2016 based on photos of the original house studied by a committee of artists specializing in Art Nouveau.
The Majorelle house is a real work of art in which you can stroll, to book your visit and get all the information you need, it's here.
Marie de Comme des Français
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