Andrée Putman, chic French design in 6 works

The name Putman alone evokes a certain idea of French chic. A chic that is not flashy, but sober and elegant. Andrée Putman is a singular figure in French architecture and design, immediately recognizable by her lanky figure, asymmetrical haircut, and always impeccable look. She left behind a remarkable body of work, marked essentially by her enthusiasm for interior architecture and a pronounced taste for discreet refinement that leaves nothing to chance. A look back at a career that was built late, through 6 emblematic works.

Born into a bourgeois family of bankers and notable, Andrée Putman (1925-2013) destined in a 1^er time for music, encouraged by a pianist mother. However, the rigidity of classical music education curbs her ardor. One element of her childhood, however, arouses in her a taste for beautiful things, architecture in particular. As a child, she spent a large part of her summers at the Abbaye de Fontenay, a magnificent Cistercian complex bought by her grandfather in 1906. Later, she would explain that she was "nourished" by the geometry of the place, and in particular the play of light.

Starting from nothing, except for a 1st Prize in Harmony from the Conservatory, Andrée Putman gradually developed a passion for painting, architecture and decoration. She begins by collaborating as a journalist specializing in "home" and "decoration" for several magazines including Femina and Elle. In 1958, she became a stylist for the Prisunic chain of stores and married the collector, editor and art critic Jacques Putman. Thanks to him, she met artists such as Pierre Alechinsky, Alberto Giacometti and Niki de Saint Phalle.

In 1971, she co-founded the company Créateurs et Industriels with businessman Didier Grumbach, and introduced talented young designers including Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. 7 years later, she created her company, Ecart, which made a name for itself by reissuing design furniture from the 1930s (René Herbst, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Pierre Chareau, Eileen Gray, ...). Then, she began a fundamental shift towards space design: in 1984, she designed the Morgans Hotel in New York. She gained international fame and her career took off. On this occasion, she affirmed certain principles of the "Putman style": the famous black and white checkerboard, simple lines, pure structures and minimalist but classy decoration.

After the Morgans adventure, Andrée Putman went on to design interior architecture projects: she designed hotels, including Le Lac in Japan, the Im Wasserturm in Germany and the Sheraton at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport. She also designed boutiques for the brands Balenciaga, Bally and Lagerfeld. In 1984, she designed the office furniture for Jack Lang, then Minister of Culture. From 1983 to 1990, Andrée Putman embarked on a major challenge: the creation of the entire interior design and furniture of the Lainé warehouse, a former industrial building completed in 1824 and which houses the Centre d'arts plastiques contemporains de Bordeaux (CAPC).

With the interior design of the CAPC, Andrée Putman proved a great artistic intelligence to conceive a furniture in phase with the spirit of a very particular place. In 1993, Air France naturally thought of her to renovate all of the elements making up the interior of the Concorde. After all, if Andrée Putman embodies a certain audacious elegance "à la française", the Concorde represents the jewel of French aeronautics. The 2 convey an art of living and are made to get along.

In 1997, Andrée Putman created the studio that bears her name, specializing in interior architecture, of course, but also in design and scenography. In 2000, Andrée Putman shows another facet of her protean talent. For the French silverware and tableware company, Christofle, she designed the Vertigo line of flatware and objects. A design in her image: a simple and pure aesthetic combined with the utilitarian function of objects. She completed her collaboration with Christofle in 2005 with a jewelry line, named Idole, for which she once again declined a "twisted" ring, which she had created for the Vertigo line. According to Christofle: "a strong idea of Parisian chic, at once totally timeless but always in the air of time.".

Andrée Putman continues to string together major projects. In 2001, she signed the conversion of the former 19th century Pershing mansion into a delightful contemporary boutique hotel, Pershing Hall. Behind the building's Second Empire façade, the hotel houses a vast interior courtyard with a 30-meter high plant wall designed by Patrick Blanc. Andrée Putman revamped the place to make it a quiet and discreet hotel during the day, but lively at night with a slightly kitschy lounge atmosphere. She creates atmospheres that are both hushed and vibrant. As for the room decor, it remains cozy and contemporary for a soothing atmosphere.

In 2008, Andrée Putman returned to her 1^er love: music. She designed for Pleyel, the oldest French piano brand, Voie Lactée, a magnificent piano. It is truly a unique luxury object that mixes the world of classical music and design. A love match between classicism and modernism. Since 2007, Olivia Putman, Andrée's daughter, has been at the helm of Studio Putman and continues to keep the family DNA alive: the search for great refinement, a sense of detail, a focus on light, and an awareness of the intrinsic beauty of simple materials...

François Boutard