Prouve

Utilitarian simplicity and graceful beauty

The inspirational vision of Jean Prouvé

French architect and designer Jean Prouvé (1901–1984) was one of the most important constructors of the 20th century. Prouvé’s design innovations included cleverly-shaped metal parts for building prefabricated structures; he designed buildings and furniture that could be produced with economy of labor and material and efficiency in use, while maintaining high technical standards and quality materials. His simple and elegant style, while born from the desire for inexpensive production, has become an imitable aesthetic and has earned him a position as one of the century’s most influential designers.

This introduction to Prouvé’s work gives a profound insight into the variety of his œuvre and the progressiveness of his inspirational vision.

About the Series:
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)

The editor:
Peter Gössel runs an agency for museum and exhibition design. For TASCHEN he published monographs on Julius Shulman, R.M. Schindler, John Lautner and Richard Neutra as well as several titles in the Basic Architecture Series.

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.