Art Deco Rug
Jean Burkhalter designed this Art Deco rug in 1925, responding to Pierre Chareau’s commission for a seaside mansion on Corsica. This piece belongs to a suite of five, each tailored to fit specific areas of the villa.
A renowned French architect and designer, Jean Burkhalter (1895-1984) honed his skills at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Subsequently, he worked with Jules Coudyser, a leading Parisian décorateur and textile art publisher, who taught him extensively about weaving techniques.
In 1919, the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs invited Burkhalter to exhibit, where he unveiled his first carpet and fabric collection. This successful debut led to a design contract with Atelier Primavera, a celebrated maison among interior decoration ateliers and a specialized extension of the Printemps department store.
By 1923, Burkhalter had forged collaborations with high-caliber architects like Robert Mallet-Stevens and Pierre Chareau. Moreover, he solidified his partnership with Chareau in 1924 by designing the first carpet collection for the Boutique Pierre Chareau. This collection notably features abstract motifs evoking lunar landscapes and irregular shapes, with surfaces conveying marbled and spotted effects, clearly influenced by Robert Delaunay’s theory of ‘Simultaneism’.
Additionally, other pieces from the collection showcase patterns that mimic pictorial brushstrokes, paying homage to the floral style that would later distinguish the Art Deco period.