Africanist-Cubist, Modern or Art Deco? Laurence Salmon's monograph, published by Norma, provides a chance to examine this free-spirited creator with a touch of the anarchic, who ignored the categories into which he has been relegated for too long.
MAD chaise longue lacquered black, elbow-rest embellished with inlaid mother-of-pearl. Former Jacques Doucet collection. Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Donated by Jean-Édouard Dubrujeaud in 1958.
MAD, Paris/Photo Jean Tholance.
What a pleasure it is to leaf through the beautiful volume on Pierre Legrain recently published by Norma! The illustrations form a brilliant sequence of short visual paths showing the interiors of famous collectors. This book revives the great moments of Legrain's discovery, including François Mathey's "Les années 25" at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 1966. The leading market players of the time emerged: Félix Marcilhac, who exchanged a beautiful "African-style" ensemble with Andy Wharol for a portrait of the artist, or Bob Walker, whose finds made their way to Robin Symes' house in Manhattan.
A Folly of Forms In 1917, Jacques Doucet invited Legrain to design some bindings for his library. "Be freely inspired by contemporary artists' vibrantly coloured mosaics, bold play with geometric forms and straight-lined bands," was his advice. So Legrain developed an abstract…
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