Mid-Century Charlotte Perriand Sideboard “Cansado”, circa 1950, France

DESCRIPTION: Mid-Century Charlotte Perriand “Cansado”. Circa 1950, France. Very decorative piece made with steel base and wood. Provenance: Cansado, Mauritania (Africa).

CONDITION: Good vintage condition. Wear consistent with age and use.

DIMENSIONS: Height: 70cm (27.56in) Width: 158cm (62.2in) Depth: 45cm (17.72in).

ABOUT THE DESIGNER: Charlotte Perriand (Paris, October 24, 1903-October 27, 1999) was a French architect and designer. She developed the design of the furniture of the modern house that ceases to be understood as autonomous and artistic objects to become functional artifacts linked to the domestic structure and was one of the driving forces of modern interior architecture. She worked in the studio of Le Corbusier as furniture and interior manager. Charlotte Perriand helped design the French ski area, Les Arc. She designed and built Arc 1600, Arc 1800, and Arc 2000. She led the Les Arcs design team that included Roger Godino, Robert Blanc, Gaston Regairaz, Guy Rey-Millet, and Bernard Taillefer. She designed the resorts to have minimal rooms, with the idea that most guests spend their time outside. Instead the buildings have great rooms that are open to the sun and nature. Charlotte Perriand died 27 October, 1999 in Paris, France at the age of 96.

ABOUT THE STYLE: Mid-Century Modern (MCM) is a design movement in interior, product, graphic design, architecture, and urban development that was popular from roughly 1945 to 1969, during the post–World War II period. The term was used descriptively as early as the mid-1950s and was defined as a design movement by Cara Greenberg in her 1984 book Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s. It is now recognized by scholars and museums worldwide as a significant design movement. The MCM design aesthetic is modern in style and construction, aligned with the Modernist movement of the period. It is typically characterized by clean, simple lines and honest use of materials, and it generally does not include decorative embellishments.