Pair of “Crosspiece” lamps by Jean-Michel Frank

In 1930, Frank entered into a partnership with Adolph Chanaux, who had already been executing his furniture designs. He acted as creative director for Chanaux & Company, and in 1935 the two would open a boutique under Frank’s name on rue Faubourg-Saint-Honoré dedicated to his designs and those of his artist and architect collaborators, such as Christian Béard and Emilio Terry.

Frank soon developed an international following, thanks in part to influential tastemakers such as Syrie Maughm in England and Francis Elkins in the United States that helped to nurture local interest in his designs. In Argentina, Ignacio Pirovano, interior designer and curator at the National Museum of Decorative Arts, proved to be an effective champion of Frank’s work.

Pirovano co-founded the firm Comte in 1932 to provide fine interior decor for the local market and began importing Frank models from Paris for placement in design projects as well as for retail sale. In 1936, Comte entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Frank to produce his designs locally, and by 1937 the firm had set up a workshop to execute these models, as well as a broader offering of period and contemporary designs.

The “Crosspiece” lamp is typical of the austere geometries that dominated Frank’s designs of the 1920s. Having experimented with a number of other materials in earlier iterations of the design, Frank first used brass for the form in his Beckwill project circa 1928 (depicted in photo upper right). This pair of lamps in brass with dark patination evoking antique bronze was commissioned by Ignacio Pirovano for his country estate outside of Buenos Aires is thought to be unique in its finish.

Literature:
Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco Period, New York, 2008, pg. 301 and pgs. 139, 271, 302 for other variations/materials
Léopold Diego Sanchez, Jean-Michel Frank: Adolphe Chanaux, Paris, 1997, pg. 116 and pgs. 122, 123, 245 for other variations/materials