"Les Fouquet: Bijoutiers Joailliers A Paris 1860-1960" 1984 Gary, Marie-Noel De et Evelyne Posseme
$750
Gary, Marie-Noel De et Evelyne Posseme
[192] pp.
Flammarion, Paris
1984
10 1/8" x 9 5/8"
In French text
*cover w/ slight creasing*
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Monograph on a family of three generations of Parisian jewellers. Alphonse founded the firm in 1860 and it was carried on by his son Georges and grandson Jean, who created some of the most famous and much photographed Deco designs.
This catalog was prepared to accompany the exhibition in Paris at the Musee des arts decoratifs in 1983. Marie-Noel de Gary curated the exhibition and along with Evelyne Posseme wrote the catalog essays and entries. Separate chapters on each of the Fouquets: Alphonse Fouquet director Maison Fouquet 1860-1895; Georges Fouquet director Maison Fouquet 1895-1936; and Jean Fouquet active in Maison Fouquet from 1925-1960. Illustrated in color and black & white with photographs and drawings.
Georges Fouquet (1862–1957) was a French jewelry designer best known for his Art Nouveau creations. He was part of a successful jewellery family; his father Alphonse Fouquet designed in a neoclassicist style, and his son Jean Fouquet designed in the Art Deco style.
Career
In Paris, Fouquet joined his father in the family business in 1891. He took over the running of the company in 1895. In 1900, he opened a new jewelry shop at 6 rue Royale in Paris, designed by the illustrator Alphonse Mucha.
In 1900, Fouquet was featured at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. His collaboration with Mucha was prominently showcased, unveiling a highly theatrical line of jewelry characterized by intricate enamel work, natural motifs, and the innovative use of materials like ivory, mother-of-pearl, and gemstones. This collection became an iconic representation of the Art Nouveau style.
Fouquet was a fantasist, and while his creations can be associated with the Lalique school, it is not due to imitation, but rather his imaginative talent. His work is often complex and holds a foremost place in the Art Nouveau movement. Contrary to Lalique but like Henri Vever, Fouquet expressed himself through more synthetic geometric forms.
He also designed jewels for French actresses such as Sarah Bernhardt. His work can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Petit Palais. The interior of Fouquet's shop is preserved at the Carnavalet Museum in Paris. In 1984, a major exhibition of three generations of the Fouquet Jewellers was made by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris; the exhibition was then shown at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich.