WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›Jean Prouvé

Jean Prouvé

French, 1901

WA-00031074

Representation

None documented

Institutional Exhibitions

Works in Collection

Assets Indexed

Authority-backed Facts

Publications Referenced

70%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (3)

WikidataQ381924 ULAN500115727

MoMA

Field Verification (3 fields)

3 cross-verified · 0 single-source

BiographyMoMA· 93%✓
Birth yearArtsy· 85%✓
NationalityArtsy· 85%✓

Source Registry (1)

MoMA bulk 2026-05-04https://www.moma.org/artists/7982
Tier 1 · Institutional92%

About

Why this artist matters now

Jean Prouvé was a French designer and metalworker who pioneered industrial fabrication methods in furniture and architectural components during the postwar era. Working primarily in steel and aluminum, he developed demountable systems and standardized parts that challenged conventional distinctions between craft and industrial production. His approach to materials and assembly anticipated modular design principles that became foundational to mid-century modern practice. Prouvé's technical innovations, grounded in his training as a blacksmith, extended from small domestic objects to large-scale prefabricated building systems.

Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 29d ago

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

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Medium

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Related Artists

6 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Museum of Modern ArtNew York Art Institute of Chicago The Metropolitan Museum of Art Cleveland Museum of Art

Canonical record

Artworks (18)

WattsOS

Façade Panel for Siège Social de la CIMT (Compagnie industrielle du matériel de transport), Neuilly sur Seine, France

1963 · Aluminum and glass

9' 3 1/2" x 46 7/8 x 4 5/16" (283 x 119 x 11 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

WattsOS

Antony chair

1954 · Aluminum and steel

34 5/16 × 20 × 27 1/2 in. (87.2 × 50.8 × 69.9 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

"Antony" or "Light" Chair no. 356

1954 · Enameled steel and molded beech plywood

34 1/2 x 19 5/8 x 26" (87.6 x 49.8 x 66 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

WattsOS

Shutter for Manufacture des Tabacs, Marseille, France

1954 · Aluminum

74 13/16 x 31 1/2 x 12 5/8" (190 x 80 x 32 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

"Standard" Demountable "Cafétéria" Chair no. 300

1952 · Enameled steel and plywood

31 1/2 x 16 1/8 x 18 1/8" (80 x 41 x 46 cm)

"Standard" Demountable "Cafétéria" Chair no. 300

1952 · Enameled steel and plywood

31 1/2 x 16 1/8 x 18 1/8" (80 x 41 x 46 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

"Standard" Chair no. 305

1952 · Enameled steel, plywood, aluminum, and rubber

31 1/4 x 17 3/4 x 18 7/8" (79.4 x 45.1 x 47.9 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

"Direction" Office Armchair no. 352

1951 · Enameled steel, leather, foam, and wood

31 1/2 x 25 3/16 x 22 5/8" (80 x 64 x 57.5 cm)

"Direction" Office Armchair no. 352

1951 · Enameled steel, leather, foam, and wood

31 1/2 x 25 3/16 x 22 5/8" (80 x 64 x 57.5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Visiteur Armchair

1950 · Wood and metal, fabric cushion

97.8 × 69.9 × 96.6 cm (38 1/2 × 27 1/2 × 38 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

WattsOS

Façade Panel for Fédération du Bâtiment, Paris, France

1949 · Aluminum and glass

9' 11 3/8" x 56 3/4 x 5 1/8" (303 x 144 x 13 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

WattsOS

"Potence" Bracket Lamp

1947 · Enameled steel and brass

12 × 61" (30.5 × 154.9 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

School desk

1946 · Enameled steel and oak

28 1/2 x 45 x 34" (72.4 x 114.3 x 86.4 cm)

School desk

1946 · Enameled steel and oak

28 1/2 x 45 x 34" (72.4 x 114.3 x 86.4 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

WattsOS

Compass Desk

1945 · plastic, wood, metal

Overall: 73.2 x 198 x 89 cm (28 13/16 x 77 15/16 x 35 1/16 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

WattsOS

Compass Armchair

1945 · steel, aluminum, wood and plastic

Overall: 78 x 59 x 52 cm (30 11/16 x 23 1/4 x 20 1/2 in.)

Cleveland Museum of Art

Folding Chair

1930 · Enameled steel and linen

40 3/8 x 17 5/8 x 18 3/4" (102.6 x 44.8 x 47.6 cm)

Folding Chair

1930 · Enameled steel and linen

40 3/8 x 17 5/8 x 18 3/4" (102.6 x 44.8 x 47.6 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

View all 18 artworks →

Artwork sources (4)

18 published of 24 catalogued · 13 with image

MoMA
14 publishedof 20 catalogued12 img
Cleveland Museum of Art
2 published
Art Institute Chicago
1 published1 img
The Met
1 published

Per-Artwork Provenance Chains (top 6)

6 entries · 2 sources

"Direction" Office Armchair no. 352
1951 · MoMA · 1 prov
MoMA·title
Folding Chair
1930 · MoMA · 1 prov
MoMA·title
Compass Desk
1945 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
Compass Armchair
1945 · Cleveland · 1 prov
Url Pattern Extraction 2026-05-27·accession_number
"Standard" Demountable "Cafétéria" Chair no. 300
1952 · MoMA · 1 prov
MoMA·title
School desk
1946 · MoMA · 1 prov
MoMA·title

Record

Images

Artsy

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

Collections6

Museum of Modern Art Art Institute of Chicago The Metropolitan Museum of Art Cleveland Museum of Art Christie's Phillips

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Museum of Modern Art

New York, US

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

In collection

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

In collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Market

Auction sale history

Houses that have sold works by this artist at auction

Record

Exhibitions and timeline

No exhibitions or timeline entries yet