Stool model "Samourai"
Manufactured by Airbone
France, 1960s
Steel, Leather

Measurements
68 x 66 x 37h cm
26,8 x 26 x 14,6h in

Biography
Joseph-André Motte is one of the most substantial post-war French modern designers. Reflecting a commitment to the idea that modern design could resolutely improve society, Motte remains a feature of everyday French life through his large-scale designs of public spaces throughout the country. His works cascade through venues as regal as the Louvre and as quotidian as the Parisian metro, testing material and annunciating the significance of affordable design in a changing world.
A figurehead of the French modern movement, Motte was frequently commissioned by the French administration to participate in grand public projects including the interiors of hundreds of metro stations in Paris—his chairs remaining functional pinnacles of Parisian life throughout the subway stations. Additionally, Motte conceived of the design for the Orly, 1954; Roissy, 1970; and Lyon, 1975 airports. In particular, his work with architect Henri Vicariot for the Orly Airport represented the marriage of structural and interior elements in living spaces. This genre of collaborative work between architects and interior designers rejuvenated the role of designers like Motte. Motte’s work represents the intersection of beauty and functionality in the face of an industrial society. Motte’s work is in the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris; Musée du Louvre, Paris; and a number of public forums including the Hôtel de Ville, Grenoble, France, 1968 and the Council of Europe’s building, Strasbourg, France, 1973. Motte earned the René Gabriel Prize in 1957, the Grand Prize of the International Exposition, Brussels, 1958, and was honored as a Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, the highest distinction awarded by the French Ministry of Culture.