Henri Rapin (24 February 1873 – 30 June 1939) was a French painter, illustrator and designer known for his

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

inspired contributions in various media including

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

, leather goods, lighting and interior furnishings.

Early life and career

Born in Paris in 1873, Rapin studied under neoclassical artists

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living artist by 1880." The ran ...

and Joseph Blanc at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

. in 1925 Rapin was responsible for the planning and design of a number of pavilions at the

International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts 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 ...

, a landmark Paris event that highlighted the rise of streamlined classicism and geometric styles, later identified by the term, "

". Rapin's work at the exposition and cooperative relationship with artists such at

René Lalique René Jules Lalique (6 April 1860 – 1 May 1945) was a French jeweller, medallist, and glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks, and automobile hood ornaments. Life Lalique's ...

, Max Ingrand, and Raymond Subes, also directly led to a commission to lead the interior design of a new private residence in Tokyo for

Prince Yasuhiko Asaka General was the founder of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese invasion of China and the Second World War. Son-in-law of Emperor Meiji and uncle by marriage of Em ...

. Completed in 1933, the residence is now open to the public and known as the

Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum The is an art museum in Tokyo, Japan. The museum is located in Minato ward, just east of Meguro Station. The Art Deco building, completed in 1933, has interiors designed by Henri Rapin and features decorative glass work by René Lalique. Hist ...

Creative Director at Moynat

From 1905 to 1930 Rapin was the artistic director at

Moynat Moynat is one of the oldest Parisian trunkmakers. Their first studio was opened in Paris in 1849 founded by Octavie and François Coulembier. They joined forces with a specialist in travel goods named Pauline Moynat, to open the first store of ...

, the oldest established French trunk maker. At the 1925,

, Rapin’s design for a red Morocco leather trunk, was awarded the “Diplôme d'Honneur” and contributed to Moynat’s reputation as the leading luxury luggage producer of the era.

Ceramic work

From 1920 to 1934 Rapin also contributed as an aesthetic advisor to porcelain manufacturer

Sèvres Sèvres (, ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for i ...

. Ceramic blanks for lighting fixtures proved commercially successful, enabling in 1927 Sèvres to reduce its financial dependence on the French state.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rapin, Henri French decorative artists Art Deco designers 1873 births 1939 deaths