PIERRE LEGRAIN (1888-1929)
Born in Levallois-Perret, Pierre-Emile Legrain or Pierre Legrain shot through the 1920s with a rare intensity. Creator with multiples talents, he drew furniture, perfume bottles, fashion illustrations, book bindings, frames, textiles, lights, cigarettes box and even car design. He conceived also decor of a ballet that took place at the Opera Garnier, or even a cubist garden.
His signature – pierre-é-legrain – appeared for the first time in 1909 in the pages of the satiric magazine «Le Témoin» founded by Paul Iribe in 1906. Legrain assist Iribe at the beginning for several years, becoming the art director of his agency located in 104 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Numerous pieces by Paul Iribe carry the caracteristic of Legrain’s work often on the shadow of his mentor. The first piece of Legrain known is dated of 1916, it is a pedestal bowl in black and red lacquer, marked «PL», today in the collections of the MAD Paris.
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Pierre-Emile Legrain (1888 -1929)
Born in Levallois-Perret, Pierre-Emile Legrain or Pierre Legrain shot through the 1920s with a rare intensity. Creator with multiples talents, he drew furniture, perfume bottles, fashion illustrations, book bindings, frames, textiles, lights, cigarettes box and even car design. He conceived also decor of a ballet that took place at the Opera Garnier, or even a cubist garden.
His signature – pierre-é-legrain – appeared for the first time in 1909 in the pages of the satiric magazine «Le Témoin» founded by Paul Iribe in 1906. Legrain assist Iribe at the beginning for several years, becoming the art director of his agency located in 104 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Numerous pieces by Paul Iribe carry the caracteristic of Legrain’s work often on the shadow of his mentor. The first piece of Legrain known is dated of 1916, it is a pedestal bowl in black and red lacquer, marked «PL», today in the collections of the MAD Paris.
The war provoking a lack of commands, Iribe chose to go into exile and the young artist Legrain thought to seek out Jacques Doucet, defender of the taste emerging of the 20s, that will become one of the most important collector. Collector of cubist paintings, book binding, african art, he became the
mentor of Legrain and encourages him to creates book binding to give his important book collection a delicate case. Legrain was the revelation of the Salon des Artistes décorateurs in 1920 that hailed him as the undisputed master of modern book binding.
Freeding himself from his mentorn he accepts more and more commands of a erudite customer, imporant persons of the 20s ; Jeanne Tachard, Pierre Meyer, Marie Bonaparte and the vicount de Noailles, Hubert de Monbrion, Jeane Dubost or Elsie de Wolfe among others.
True ensemblier, Pierre Legrain conceived furniture, objets, desk garnish and small accesoiries for his renowed customers.
Using several kind of materials such as exotic wood (palm tree, macassar ebony, rosewood) and precious material, parchment, bone, mother-of-pearl, shagreen, he associated with materials of the modernity : glass or metal.
Defending the modernity in the decoratif arts, he was one of the precursor of the UAM of the very befining with Pierre Chareau and Raymond Templier and took part of the debates of 1925. He died in 1929 at the age of 40.
