"The House Of Leleu: Classic French Style For A Modern World 1920-1973" (SOLD)

The definitive work on this French decorating house that played a key role in the history of twentieth-century interior design.

The firm's reach extended from the '50s style of Cap d'Antibes, to the grand salons of the League of Nations in Geneva, to New York, where Leleu had a shop on East 57th Street for many years.

The house was also a major creative force behind many of the great French ocean liners that served as floating monuments to French art, taste and savoir vivre, including the legendary Normandie in the '30s.

The house of Leleu, and the family behind it, came to prominence as key protagonists of the Art Deco style in 1920s Paris, as contemporaries and competitors of Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann.

Uniquely among the masters of that era, it continued as a creative and productive force for 50 years.

The Leleu style, synonymous with refinement, luxury and quality, was expressed in a range that included furniture, textiles, carpets and wallpaper, and in commissions for the decoration of exquisite private homes, embassies, institutions and offices around the world.

This comprehensive work covering an icon of the decorative arts was organized by Francoise Siriex, a decorator at Leleu from 1950 until its closing in 1973 and also the house's archivist.

Rounding out the volume are a wealth of never-before-published period photographs, original drawings, and maquettes that detail the evolution and key elements of the Leleu style.

Francoise Siriex

Hudson Hills Press