Jean Prouvé

Jean Prouvé (1901–1984) was one of the most legendary French industrial designers, structural engineers, and self-taught architects of the 20th century. Originally trained as a blacksmith, he was revered by Le Corbusier as a true "constructor" of the modern design world. Throughout his life, Prouvé passionately embraced the soul of metal, completely dissolving the boundaries between furniture and architecture by applying structural mechanics to chairs and housing alike. He masterminded global 20th-century design icons like the "Standard Chair" and pioneered revolutionary prefabricated, demountable housing. Firmly practicing his ironclad rule to "never design anything that cannot be made," Prouvé used the skeleton of steel to perfectly fuse industrial rationality, structural aesthetics, and a deep social responsibility toward the public.