Overview
Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, one of Europe's most influential Art Deco designers, is being celebrated in North America with a major traveling exhibition.Ruhlmann began designing at a young age and exhibited his first pieces in Paris in 1910. By 1919, he had founded his own interior design company, producing everything for the ideal home, from armoires and rugs to wallpaper and light fixtures. His early work is particularly notable for its Art Nouveau influences, and his signature pieces epitomize the best of Art Deco design.
Ruhlmann, inspired by the rigorous craftsmanship of the great eighteenth-century furniture makers, had a true passion for work well done. In fact, he was so protective of his reputation that he left orders in his will for his company to be liquidated after his death, to ensure that the quality workmanship associated with the Ruhlmann name would never decline. It has not.
This exquisite twovolume boxed set with ribbon closures is produced in the Ruhlmann spirit, and the lavish illustrations include exquisite facsimile reproductions of his designs. Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann will be a treasured addition to the library of anyone interested in this golden age of European design.
Synopsis
Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, one of Europe's most influential Art Deco designers, is being celebrated in North America with a major traveling exhibition.
Ruhlmann began designing at a young age and exhibited his first pieces in Paris in 1910. By 1919, he had founded his own interior design company, producing everything for the ideal home, from armoires and rugs to wallpaper and light fixtures. His early work is particularly notable for its Art Nouveau influences, and his signature pieces epitomize the best of Art Deco design.
Ruhlmann, inspired by the rigorous craftsmanship of the great eighteenth-century furniture makers, had a true passion for work well done. In fact, he was so protective of his reputation that he left orders in his will for his company to be liquidated after his death, to ensure that the quality workmanship associated with the Ruhlmann name would never decline. It has not.
This exquisite twovolume boxed set with ribbon closures is produced in the Ruhlmann spirit, and the lavish illustrations include exquisite facsimile reproductions of his designs. Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann will be a treasured addition to the library of anyone interested in this golden age of European design.
Library Journal
Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann (1879-1933) was a French designer and architect whose life span brought him from Art Nouveau to Art Deco. He took a whole-project approach, concerning himself with everything from building design to interior decorating to the smallest details of fixtures. Br on (chief curator, Mus e des Ann es 30, France), who oversaw the exhibition "Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco" in Paris, Montreal, and New York, here offers two well-organized volumes, one devoted to Ruhlmann's furniture and the other to his interior design. The effort is helped by a strong supporting text and 250 illustrations, including ample drawings by the designer and facsimile reproductions of his work. Unfortunately, this handsome set of paperbacks is wrapped in a ribbon-tied dust jacket, less than ideal for the rough-and-tumble life of a library volume. But with Art Deco always poised for periodic mini-revival, and Ruhlmann acknowledged as a leader in that design style, this set is recommended for those libraries where interest is high. David Bryant, New Canaan Lib., CT Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.