In 1931, when 29-year-old Jean Royère left his cushy job in the import-export business to join the world of interior design, he took a risk that paid off. The self-taught Royère became one of the most recognised French avant-garde designers of the 20th century, working from the 1930s through the early 1970s and counting the Shah of Iran and King Hussein of Jordan among his clientele.
Thursday evening, 25 February, the Galerie Patrick Seguin will open a show dedicated to the designer (until 26 April) at its Mayfair space in London, which opened last October as a satellite to its Paris gallery. “What immediately appealed to me about Jean Royère’s work was the enormous freedom it manifests,” the gallery’s owner, Patrick Seguin, explained in a statement. The show will feature 16 pieces of furniture and lighting by Royère, known for his organic, sinuous forms, rich material and bright colours. The pieces date from the late 1940s to the early 1960s and are priced between £15,000 and £350,000.