René Crevel, peintre, architecte, décorateur, Jane Otmezguine (book)

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René Crevel, peintre, architecte, décorateur (book) by Jane Otmezguine. Editions Main d’Oeuvre, 2020. New hardcover book in shrink wrap. In French. 664 pages. Dimensions: 24.5 x 5 x 32.5 cm. 4.35 kg.

A prolific artist, architect, decorator, and also a painter, René Crevel made a decisive contribution to the birth and development of the Art Deco style. An innovative spirit, he distinguished himself in numerous disciplines, tackling with equal success fields as different and demanding as architecture and interior design, furniture, wallpaper and fireplaces, carpets and tapestries, ceramics, enamel, stained glass, and frescoes.

Between the two world wars, he created remarkable designs for prestigious French manufacturers, such as Sèvres and Limoges for porcelain, J. Sarlandie for metalwork and enamels, Isidore Leroy, Essef, Geffroy, and Nobilis for wallpaper, Aubusson for carpets and tapestries, and Krieger for furniture. His career was marked by significant achievements. As an interior architect and decorator, he designed the entire decoration of the Théâtre de l’Avenue (1924), furnished the Hôtel de Paris and the Gustave Sandoz jewelry store (1928), the Les Tuileries restaurant and the Hôtel Continental, the Frigéco store, the Portuguese Tourist Office (1931), and designed the Hôtel Astoria (1933). He also created the bar for the Técalémit company (1932). He designed numerous shopfronts, luxury boutiques, bars, and brasseries. An architect, he built his villa in Saint-Cloud in 1926 in the purest modernist style. In 1930, his avant-garde car-carrying project graced the cover of the magazine Je sais tout. In 1937, he drew up the plans for the Palace of Crafts at the International Exposition of Arts and Techniques, and then those for the workers’ housing complex at the Debat pharmaceutical laboratories in Garches.

A painter, he pursued a career that began in 1915 in the wake of the Nabis and Japonism, leaving behind more than 1,000 works, including oils, gouaches, watercolors, and drawings. He created sets and costumes for the theater, and painted decorative panels and frescoes. René Crevel received numerous awards from the juries of major exhibitions of the time. In 1925, five diplomas and medals recognized his participation in the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts. In 1929, he received a Grand Prix diploma at the French Exhibition in Cairo, and in 1931, an Honorary Diploma at the Colonial Exhibition. In 1937, at the International Exposition of Arts and Techniques, he was awarded two more Honorary Diplomas and two gold medals.

This first monograph celebrates the talent of René Crevel, an emblematic figure of the Art Deco movement. It retraces his life and career and explores each of his modes of expression, from painting to decorative arts and architecture.

Please feel free to take a look at the additional photos on the top left, thank you!

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