Pere Cosp

PERE COSP (Barcelona, 1907-2007).
Pair of chairs, 40s - 50s.
Gilded and polychrome wood. Fabric upholstery.
Signed.
Measurements: 91 x 63 x 51 cm.

The pair of chairs by Pere Cosp now on tender perfectly reflect his interest in recovering the cabinetmaker tradition and historical styles from a contemporary sensibility, combining an extraordinary quality craftsmanship with a careful decorative richness. In this pair, the use of noble woods veneered with showy roots, the elegant neoclassical-inspired structure and the attention to detail in elements such as the open back, the stylized legs and the central carved and polychrome ornamentation, topped with stone polychromy that provide a unique chromatic accent, stand out. Beyond their function, these pieces demonstrate Cosp's ability to reinterpret classic models through impeccable execution and high quality materials, placing it within the current of Catalan designers and craftsmen who claimed the value of signature furniture as opposed to industrial production. Its importance lies both in the personality of its design and in its status as a representative example of the work of a creator who contributed to keeping alive the excellence of Catalan artistic cabinetmaking during the second half of the 20th century.

Pere Cosp was an interior designer and designer from Barcelona. With a mostly self-taught education, Pere Cosp redirected the family craft workshop towards interior design and integral decoration. The profession served him to give free rein to his creative talent, intentionally distanced from the fashions and trends of the time. Proof of that nonconformist and restless personality that defined him are the designs of his furniture, which still today retain an innovative and transgressive spirit. Cosp attended the Escuela de Artes y Bellos Oficios, as well as the perspective classes of Professor Arola. But more important for him was the practical part: entering the family workshop and living closely all the trades that were developed there: gilding, moldings and all kinds of restoration work. He also worked with the furniture maker Alonso and the decorator Parcerises. Pere Cosp was a pioneer in the use of materials that we could call humble, such as pine wood, chipboard, raffia, etc., which with his treatments and uses he elevated in category. He often collaborated with other trades: in the field of metal, he worked with Biosca y Botey and Pere Peronella. In this line of collaborations are his screen feet, wall sconces, outdoor furniture for gardens, an extensive collection of knobs and handles. The decoration of these elements or the final finishing was always done in the workshop. He carried out combinations of great beauty: stone, marble -Torra Passani was the main supplier- mosaic, in collaboration with Bru, glass, Granell, enamel, Morató, lacquers. Over the course of his 50-year career, he transformed a hundred private homes into modern dwellings, often ahead of their time. His personal stamp impregnated every corner of the home: he distributed spaces, designed the furniture and decided even the smallest decorative detail.