Prouvé

Shapes of Things to Come. Jean Prouvé’s economical elegance

French architect and designer Jean Prouvé innovated crisp, economical construction designs, marrying inexpensive materials and mass production with aesthetic elegance and technical brilliance. His simple, graceful style is an inimitable expression of midcentury innovation, expansion, and growth, and secured his place as one of the century’s most influential designers.

French-born Jean Prouvé (1901–1984) was the 20th century’s leading construction designer, a self-declared constructeur and member of the jury who oversaw the design of the Centre Pompidou in Paris. As a designer, he captured the midcentury spirit of innovation, expansion, and growth, developing techniques that united simple, striking aesthetics with practical, cost-effective materials and assembly.

From vast, temporary exhibition marquees to handheld letter openers, modular building systems to interior lighting, Prouvé’s designs efficiently fitted their function with minimal fuss and understated elegance. Feted by designers, architects, and engineers the world over, Prouvé has left a rich and inspirational legacy, which resonates perfectly with the approach of this compact volume, neatly summarizing his life and works.

The author:

Nils Peters studied art history at the University of Hamburg, architecture at TFH Berlin, and urban sociology at Columbia University in New York. He has taught, published, and exhibited on the subject of architecture and has had his own practice since 1998.

The editor:

Peter Gössel runs an agency for museum and exhibition design. He has published TASCHEN monographs on Julius Shulman, R. M. Schindler, John Lautner, and Richard Neutra, as well as several titles in the Basic Architecture series.

About the series:

Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. 

Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Architecture series features:

- an introduction to the life and work of the architect
- the major works in chronological order
- information about the clients, architectural preconditions as well as construction problems and resolutions
- a list of all the selected works and a map indicating the locations of the best and most famous buildings
- approximately 120 illustrations (photographs, sketches, drafts, and plans)