LAFFANOUR GALERIE DOWNTOWN/PARIS · LAFFANOUR GALERIE DOWNTOWN/PARIS 18 Rue de Seine, 75006, Paris T. +33 1 46 33 82 41 For TEFAF 2015, François LAFFANOUR internationally known as

LAFFANOUR GALERIE DOWNTOWN/PARIS 18 Rue de Seine, 75006, Paris T. +33 1 46 33 82 41 www.galeriedowntown.com

MASTERPIECES OF SHAKER DESIGN (1820-1890)

An exhibition curated by François LAFFANOUR & Philippe SEGALOT

In collaboration with the Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon

TEFAF 2015, Maastricht

March 13 – 22 , 2015

Booth # 605


For TEFAF 2015 , François LAFFANOUR internat ional ly known as the specia l ist of architects furn iture from the XXth Century , partnered with Phi l ippe SEGALOT, one of the main actors of the Contemporary Art market and a long t ime Shaker furn iture col lector , to present an outstanding show of Masterpieces of Shaker design . Born at the beginning of the XVII I th Century in England, the Shaker movement is a branch of Protestant ism coming from the Quakers . The name Shaker comes from the express ive and noisy way that they pract iced their re l ig ion . Persecuted, the Shakers left England for America , where the movement reached i ts peak . They created community v i l lages with in which cel ibacy was mandatory and pr ivate property abol ished. At i ts c l imax there were 6,000 members in 23 v i l lages in var ious states from New England (Maine, Massachusetts , New York , New Hampshire , Connect icut) to the Midwest (Ohio , Indiana , Kentucky) . The biggest community , Mount Lebanon in the state of New York , is now home of the Shaker Museum , which is the keeper of the movement ’s h istory , nowadays disappeared . The museum col laborated with François Laffanour and Phi l ippe Ségalot on th is project and k indly lent some major p ieces from their permanent col lect ion for the Maastr icht show. Shaker furn iture , tota l ly ut i l i tar ian , funct ional ist before funct ional ism and free of any ornamentat ion , is character ized by str ict and pure l ines . Masterpieces of craftsmanship , th is minimal ist furn iture rare ly mentioned in the history of Design was a strong inspirat ion for XXth Century furn iture , part icu lar ly Scandinavian . This type of furn iture is even more remarkable , s ince i t is the perfect and r igorous express ion of the Shakers ’ ways of th ink ing and of l i fe . François LAFFANOUR & Phi l ippe SEGALOT for TEFAF 2015 w i l l rebui ld a Shaker house a l lowing the v is i tor to d iscover the main character ist ics of that k ind of housing . The th irty p ieces from 1820 to 1890 are the result of 5 years of commune researches . The se lect ion was made according to the qual i ty of the p ieces as much for their provenance as for their technica l and aesthet ic specif ic i t ies . Thanks to th is , each one represents the perfect ion of i ts f ie ld . A very strong l ink connects these p ieces to movements such as Arts & Crafts , De St i j l , Bauhaus , UAM or even Char lotte Perr iand’s and Jean Prouvé’s creat ions . That wil l of pur i f icat ion of furn iture reminds us of what Adolphe Loos was say ing in h is book Ornement and Crime , written in 1908: “Lack of ornamentat ion is not a lack of charm, i t acts l ike a new attract ion , i t an imates .” For th is event , a book t i t led SHAKER: Funct ion , Pur ity , Perfect ion , prefaced by Sir Terence Conran, wi l l be publ ished by Assoul ine , New York .


Rocking Settee South Family, Mount Lebanon, New York Ca. 1890s Maple, iron screws, cotton webbing, brown stain finish H 84,5 x W96 x D70,2 cm Private collection © Matthew Kroening


Cupboard over six drawers Mount Lebanon, New York Ca.1850s Pine, porcelain pulls, cast iron turn buttons, iron hinges, red paint H 156 x W 105,7 x D 45,7cm Private Collection © Matthew Kroening


Retiring Room Bed Mount Lebanon, New York Ca.1850-1860 Maple, pine, cast iron roller collars, maple wheels H 76,5 x L 187 x W 84 cm Private Collection © Matthew Kroening

To contact Laffanour Galerie Downtown/Paris

+ 33 1 46 33 82 41 [email protected]

To contact Phil ippe Ségalot

+ 1 212 988 91 71 [email protected]

Documents

LAFFANOUR GALERIE DOWNTOWN/PARIS · LAFFANOUR GALERIE DOWNTOWN/PARIS 18 Rue de Seine, 75006, Paris T. +33 1 46 33 82 41 For TEFAF 2015, François LAFFANOUR internationally known as