Djinn Chair and Footstool by Olivier Mourgue for Airborne
About the Item
- Creator:Airborne International (Maker),Olivier Mourgue (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 27.56 in (70 cm)Depth: 29.53 in (75 cm)
- Style:Space Age (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:C1960 s
- Condition:Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:Little Burstead, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2100347970322
Olivier Mourgue
With its undulating, futuristic and playful form, it’s easy to see why filmmaker Stanley Kubrick chose to use Olivier Mourgue’s iconic Djinn chair in his 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. But the French artist and industrial designer is known for much more than the Space Age Djinn. From his whimsical Flower floor lamps to his anthropomorphic Bouloum chair, Mourgue is renowned as an important contributor to the 1960s Pop art era of modern furniture design.
Born in Paris in 1939, Mourgue grew up in an apartment filled with Empire-style antique furniture, which he derided as having “nothing to do with life.” He later studied art at Paris’s École Boulle, graduating in 1958. He then attended the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs.
In 1959, his former teacher at École Boulle, Marcel Merpillat, encouraged him to present a chair he designed at a competition hosted by furniture manufacturer Airborne. Airborne founder Charles Bernard was impressed by Mourgue’s design, which featured a leather-upholstered seat attached to a chrome steel frame; it was produced by the company under the name the Joker. Mourgue designed several other mid-century modern pieces for Airborne throughout the 1960s, including the Whist chaise longue, the rotund Montreal chair, the unique Cubique chair and the Djinn series, which first appeared in 1964.
In addition to Airborne, Mourgue has designed for furniture manufacturers such as Disderot and Prisunic, and collaborated with British architect and designer Sir Norman Foster and Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa.
Mourgue worked for Le Mobilier National to design the French Pavilion for Montreal’s Expo ‘67. In 1968, he received the International Design Award from the Institute of Interior Designers in New York for the Djinn lounge chair. He also exhibited several of his works at Expo ‘70 in Osaka, Japan.
Today, Mourgue’s pieces are part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Olivier Mourgue seating, lighting and more.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Little Burstead, United Kingdom
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllVintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
Steel
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Settees
Upholstery
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Wool, Beech, Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
Teak
You May Also Like
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Fabric
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s European Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Iron
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Steel, Chrome
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Metal
