Jacqueline Lecoq (born 1932) is a French designer who collaborated for many years with Antoine Philippon. They produced furniture designs that were modern, simple and minimalist, often using large glass plates as both surfaces and supports.

Life

Jacqueline Lecoq was born in 1932. She trained 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 ...

'' in the studio of Eric Bagge (1890–1978). After graduating she joined

Marcel Gascoin Marcel Gascoin (24 August 1907 – 29 October 1986) was a designer who specialized in modular storage units and sets of matching furniture. He played a major role in the emergence of French design after World War II (1939–45). Several of Gascoin ...

's company. In the period after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(1939–45) there was increased interest in using new methods and materials for mass production of furniture. Manufacturers of materials such as

formica ''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. ''Formica'' is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. The type species of genus ''For ...

plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

, aluminum, and steel sponsored the salons of the ''

Société des artistes décorateurs The Societé des artistes décorateurs (SAD, Society of Decorative Artists) was a French society of designers of furniture, interiors and decorative arts that was active from 1901 until the 2000s. It sponsored an annual Salon des artistes décorat ...

''. Designers who exhibited their experimental work at the salons in this period included Jacqueline Lecoq, Antoine Philippon,

René-Jean Caillette René-Jean Caillette (1919–2005) was a French decorative artist and designer, son of a cabinetmaker. His elegant and modernistic furniture designs were mass-produced after World War II (1939–45). His molded plywood Diamond chair is considered a ...

Joseph-André Motte Joseph-André Motte (6 January 1925 – 1 June 2013) was a French furniture designer and interior designer and ranks among the most influential and innovative figures of post-war French design. Joseph-André Motte was born in Saint-Bonnet-en-C ...

Jean Prouvé Jean Prouvé (8 April 1901 – 23 March 1984) was a French metal worker, self-taught architect and designer. Le Corbusier designated Prouvé a constructeur, blending architecture and engineering. Prouvé's main achievement was transferring man ...

Charlotte Perriand Charlotte Perriand (24 October 1903 – 27 October 1999) was a French architect and designer. Her work aimed to create functional living spaces in the belief that better design helps in creating a better society. In her article "L'Art de Vivre" f ...

and

Pierre Guariche Pierre Guariche (1926–1995) was a French designer, interior decorator and architect. He is perhaps best known for the residential lights that he designed for Pierre Disderot in the 1950s, but he was also an innovative furniture designer and arc ...

. In 1954 Lecoq met Antoine Philippon (1930–95), who had trained 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 ...

, and was also working for Gascoin. Lecoq and Philippon formed a partnership in 1956 that would last until Philippon's death in 1995. During their long career they often showed their creations at 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 ...

'' and the ''

Salon des artistes décorateurs 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 ...

''. Philippon was president of the latter in 1970–72. They participated in world exhibitions in Brussels (1958) where they won the grand prize for their "young man's room" and Montreal (1967). In 1961 they received the

René Gabriel prize René ('' born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the femin ...

Work

Lecoq and Philippon were among the masters of the ''

Union des artistes modernes The French Union of Modern Artists (french: Union des artistes modernes; UAM) was a movement made up of decorative artists and architects founded in France on 15 May 1929 and active until 1959. Initially made up of around 20 dissidents of the Soc ...

'' (UAM). They followed

in using contemporary materials and industrial techniques to design good-quality products at economical prices. At first they met resistance, but they continued to insist on creating uncompromising pieces that combined function and art, and this style was soon accepted by young people who wanted modern but timeless furniture. As with others of the UAM they preferred materials such as glass, aluminum and Formica. They aimed for comfortable, elegant and functional furniture with pure lines, free of decoration. Their office furniture was minimalist, and through its use of large glass plates was almost immaterial. Their achievements included bending post-formed Formica in a small radius of , and designing a TV with the cathode ray rube mounted on a movable axle above a base cabinet containing the speakers. This was typical of their drive for efficient use of interior space.

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Life

Work

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