Paul Kiss Bookends

Pair of bookends circa 1930. Wrought iron squirrels stamped P. Kiss for Paul Kiss. In perfect condition. Total height: 17.5 cm Width: 14.2 cm Depth: 7.5 cm Total weight: 5.8 kg A French master ironworker, Paul Kiss was born in 1885 in Belafalva, Romania, and trained in Central and Western Europe before settling in Paris. He gained recognition and awards in the mid-1920s, when he gained recognition for his Art Nouveau and Art Deco-inspired creations with the arrival of Cubism and its clean lines. This is evidenced by an article by critic George Denoinville on the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts, and more specifically on Paul Kiss, whose contribution to interior and exterior furniture he celebrated through decorative objects such as console tables, doors, and radiator covers. According to him, Paul Kiss… "Master Ironworker works tirelessly towards this goal… What stood out above all was this interior partition door, so simple, rich in patterns and frames, that it appeared to us like a veritable metallic lacework. …Paul Kiss is, without a doubt, one of our most original artistic ironworkers…" Excerpts from "Mobilier et Décoration, December 1925," pp. 21-27. After the First World War, Kiss opened his own studio and showroom on rue Léon-Delhomme. Kiss designed and produced numerous pieces of iron furniture throughout the 1920s and 1930s. He was commissioned to restore historic monuments and create new public monuments. His clients included the kings of Siam and Egypt. Kiss created the metalwork for the Monuments aux Morts war memorial in Levallois-Perret, France, for which he received the silver medal at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1924. In 1925, he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs and the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. In the 1920s, Kiss mentored the young designer Paul Fehér...