French / France
10 chaises
(10 chairs)
Ehrhard, Dominique
(text/illus.)
Paris: Éditions Des Grandes personnes, [2016]. – [26] p.
(Series: Les Grandes personnes)
ISBN 978-2-36193-442-2
Art | Design | Chair | History | Pop-up book | Picture book
Reading age: 10+
White Ravens issue: 2017
This pop-up book by French artist Dominique Ehrhard is a showpiece of contemporary paper engineering; its mechanical ingenuity and filigreed precision are enchanting. The book presents ten timeless chairs and armchairs of the 20th and 21st centuries. Even in paper miniature form, they appear not as playful luxury objects but as well-made furniture, each with its own special way of uniting beauty, elegance, functionality and everyday suitability. The last five pages briefly introduce the “inventors” of these magical chairs: from Thonet to Le Corbusier to Mendini. Many of these are multi-talented creators who worked as furniture makers, carpenters, architects, or designers, and sometimes all in one. The book hails from avant-garde publisher Les Grandes Personnes and kick-starts a new chapter in art history for readers of all ages, in a striking and compact format. It certainly earned the Grand Prix du Jury de la nuit du livre it received in 2017.