Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco

      

Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann

 "The work of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879–1933) epitomizes the glamour of the French Art Deco style of the 1920s. Aesthetic refinement, sumptuous materials, and impeccable craftsmanship place his work on a par with the finest furniture and decorative arts of any era. The most renowned designer of his day, Ruhlmann could provide any element needed for an interior, from the furniture to the lighting, ceramics, carpets, and textiles. This retrospective examines all aspects of the legendary designer's career, augmenting the Metropolitan Museum’s own significant holdings of Ruhlmann’s works with major loans from public and private U.S. and international collections. The exhibition also provides a unique opportunity to see the best of Art Deco."

[Text from the introduction to the 2004 Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC]

There are many wonderful resources for getting to know more about Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann and the Art Deco movement. You can find links to several of them below: 

1.  Art Deco Complete by Alastair Duncan
2.  Art Deco Furniture: The French Designers by Alastair Duncan
3.  The Ruhlmann website created by Frank Pollaro as a tribute to his mentor
4.  Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco  exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2004
5. A Marquetry Odyssey by Silas Kopf ('Art Deco' on Page 144  and 'Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann' on page 145 )

Ruhlmann Pavilion at 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes

"The man who has had the greatest influence on designer-craftsmen of furniture in the last 100 years is undoubtedly Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann" writes Silas Kopf. "He stood in a long line of great French decorative artists and led the way with innovative ideas, energetic designs, and uncompromising quality. He was a compete decorateur, providing clients with a total look for the interior."

Silas Kopf - page 144 of A Marquetry Odyssey

Sideboard: Meuble De Char (1922) Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann

For more images and information about this topic click on the button below

Ruhlmann's case for wealthy patronage

In a magazine interview in 1920 Ruhlmann succinctly stated his case: "A clientele of artists, intellectuals and connoisseurs of modest means is very congenial, but they are not in a position to pay for all the research, the experimentation, the testing that is needed to develop a new design. Only the very rich can pay for what is new and they alone can make it fashionable. Fashions don't start among the common people. Along with satisfying a desire for change, fashion's real purpose is to display wealth." He further stated: "Whether you want it or not, a style is just a craze. And fashion does not come up from humble backgrounds."

Art Deco dining room with Ruhlmann inspired sideboard - 
from the Lady Christine IV interior by Rodney Black Design - 
built by Van Der Loo

Classical design elements and craftsmanship ideals

Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann's strongest inspiration may have come from the classical design elements and craftsmanship ideals found in 18th century furniture. Ruhlmann would later shape these same ideals into what he called his precious pieces. These pieces, most often occurring between 1918 and 1925 were his favorites. They made use of the rarest woods such as Macassar ebony, Brazilian rosewood, and amboyna burl, usually in combination with each other. Most of the forms were very simple, making use of gentle, almost imperceptible curves. These pieces were most often embellished with ivory; used for handles, dentil, feet, and inlay. The ivory brought a static sense of control to the pieces that made them unique, timeless and extremely elegant in form.

[The above sections of text are from Frank Pollaro's Ruhlman.info website where E. J. Ruhlmann is introduced.]

Ruhlmann Table

"Even with the extremely high prices of Ruhlman pieces, the furniture was never really profitable. In today's parlance it would probably be called a loss leader, attracting customers to the firm for the more profitable decorating services. At the same time, the furniture is what Ruhlmann is remembered for. His work stands shoulder to shoulder with Boulle, Riesener, and the other great cabinetmakers of the French classical tradition. His influence on today's generation of designer-cabinetmakers is ineluctable."

Silas Kopf - Page 149, A Marquetry Odyssey

A Marquetry Odyssey - Silas Kopf

A Marquetry Odyssey

[This is a link to an earlier post about Silas Kopf and A Marquetry Odyssey.]

Antelope Cabinet (2004) Silas Kopf

A Marquetry Odyssey - page 153 (sample)

"I started combining Deco design of cases with some of the marquetry concepts I had learned in Paris at the Ecole Boulle, such as the repeated motif and Boulle work. Art Deco is a mix of elegance and simplicity. The graphics of Deco marquetry are stylized and easily understood, writes Silas. "I was commissioned to design a cabinet that would be the first thing seen upon entering a large living room (fig. 179). I used a series of scalloped panels constructed like a fluted column. The wood for the panels is a rich figured cherry veneer. The vertical lines of the individual curved sections create areas of light and shadow, emphasizing the volume of the piece. The marquetry was limited to three small panels using brass for the animals. The shiny metal highlights the smaller details of the pictures."

Art Deco Complete by Alastair Duncan

Art Deco Complete

Review of Art Deco Complete for Studio International
In her review of Art Deco Complete for Studio International, critic Cindi Di Marzo writes:

"Duncan applies an expansive vision to Art Deco, considering designers and works that fall outside the movement's traditionally held time frame (1920 to the start of World War II). One might predict that Duncan, whose credentials include more than a decade as officer and consultant at Christie's New York (1977–1990), would take a purist's approach to a subject that has made his career and reputation. Most notable (and admirable) is the author's nearly childlike enthusiasm for the style's depth, sophistication and subtlety, particularly when he relates the sea changes caused by talented artists in furniture, bookbinding, graphic design and lighting." 

"For the most part, Duncan trains his eye on high-style Art Deco as exemplified by interiors and furnishings exhibited at the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, with developments in other countries discussed as these countries' designers embraced, built upon or rejected influences emanating from Paris, or moved toward a functionalism reflecting machine-age technology and concerns."

Purchase Art Deco Complete by Alastair Duncan:

Purchase Art Deco Furniture: The French Designers by Alastair Duncan

The Studio International piece made me think of the Pixar movie Ratatouille, the image of Remy looking at the Paris skyline seemed apropos, as did the Anton Ego quote...

Remy looking at the Paris skyline in Ratatouille

"But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere."  Anton Ego