Etienne-Henri Martin (7 April 1905 – 1997) was a French designer and decorator whose work combined elements of classic and avant-garde French design. He undertook many private and public decoration projects, and led the design workshops of major department stores in France and Belgium. From 1950 he was a professor at the ''

École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs The École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ÉnsAD, also known as Arts Decos', École des Arts Décoratifs) is a public grande école of art and design of PSL Research University. The school is located in the Rue d'Ulm in Paris. Profil ...

''.

Life

Etienne Henri Martin was born in Paris on 7 April 1905. He studied at the ''

École Boulle The École Boulle is a college of fine arts and crafts and applied arts in Paris, France. History The École Boulle was founded in 1886 and is named after the cabinetmaker André-Charles Boulle, who is generally considered to be the preeminent a ...

'', where he specialized in metal. He worked with

Edgar Brandt Edgar William Brandt (24 December 1880 – 8 May 1960) was a French ironworker and prolific weapons designer. In 1901 he set up a small workshop at 76 rue Michel-Ange in the 16th arrondissement in Paris, where he began designing, silversmithing, ...

from 1923 to 1928. During this period he exhibited at the '' Salon des Artistes Décorateurs''. He decorated the reception room for the city of Paris at the 1925 ''

Exposition Internationale des Arts décoratifs The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (french: Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes) was a World's fair held in Paris, France, from April to October 1925. It was designed by the Fren ...

'', for which he was awarded the Grand Prize. Martin worked for the ''Primavera'' workshop of the Printemps department store. He became head of an agency and a collaborator with René Prou. He worked on many private and public commissions in France and Belgium, worked on decoration of passenger ships and worked with René Prou on the decoration of the Council Chamber of the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

. He was artistic director of the ''Studium Louvre'', the creative workshop of the Grands Magasins du Louvre, from 1938 to 1945. The workshop produced designs for the growing number of customers who wanted modern styles of decoration. The designer

Michel Mortier Michel Mortier (1925 – 22 May 2015) was a French furniture designer, interior designer and architect who was known for his modern designs. Life Michel Mortier was born in Paris in 1925. He was admitted to the ''École des arts appliqués à l� ...

joined the ''Studium-Louvre'' in 1944. Martin was awarded the

Prix Blumenthal The Prix Blumenthal (or ''Blumenthal Prize'') was a grant or stipend awarded through the philanthropy of Florence Meyer Blumenthal (1875–1930) – and the foundation she created, ''Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal (Franco-Amer ...

. Martin became artistic and technical director for the Bon Marché department stores in Brussels, where he stayed until 1950. After his return from Belgium he again participated in the ''Salon des Artistes Décorateurs'' (SAD) and the ''

Salon des Arts Ménagers Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (Pa ...

''. From 1950 he was a professor at the ''

''. He was also an honorary professor at the '' Ecole des Arts appliqués''. He was a member of the SAD Committee, and the treasurer of the SAD. One of his pieces of furniture was acquired by the state and is held by the '' Musée National d'Art Moderne''. Martin died in 1997.

Style

Martin's work had elements of traditional decorative art and elements of avant-garde. Towards the end of his career he moved towards freer forms.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Etienne-Henri 1905 births 1997 deaths French designers