Pascal Mourgue for Gérard Toulemonde Éditeur.

PASCAL MOURGUE (France, 1943–2014) for Gérard Toulemonde Éditeur.
"Espace Temps" rug, ca. 1980.
Wool and cotton.
Measurements: 270 x 180 cm.

Designer rug created by Pascal Mourgue for Gérard Toulemonde Éditeur around 1980. The piece features a navy blue background against which an abstract, geometric composition unfolds, articulated by irregular shapes and lines in shades of gray, sky blue, and pink. The arrangement of the forms and the chromatic contrast reveal a sensibility closely tied to painting and sculpture, disciplines that played an essential role in Mourgue’s career. His approach to design was characterized precisely by a desire to transcend the boundaries between applied art and everyday objects.

Pascal Mourgue was a French designer and artist whose work spanned furniture, textiles, architecture, glass, painting, and sculpture. He trained in sculpture at the École Boulle in Paris and later at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs. From his earliest projects, he maintained a conception of design closely linked to artistic exploration, prioritizing formal integrity and the quality of the idea over commercial trends. Among his most renowned works are the “Arte” chaise longue, which won an award in the 1983 VIA/Bloomingdale’s competition, and the “Lune d’argent” armchair, designed for Fermob in 1985. He also developed projects for Knoll, Artelano, Cinna, and Ligne Roset, a firm with which he began a fruitful collaboration in 1994.
Throughout his career, he received major awards, including the Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris in 1992 and the Grand Prix national de la création industrielle in 1996. His work is represented in the collections of institutions such as the Centre Pompidou and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Mourgue’s career stands as a prominent example of the French tradition that blends artistic experimentation, knowledge of materials, and industrial design.