Josep Palau Oller

JOSEP PALAU OLLER (Barcelona, 1888–1961).
Art Deco armchair, ca. 1930.
Wood, hand-sewn rattan lattice, and French-made fabric upholstery.
Restored. In excellent condition.
Measurements: 80 x 64 x 70 cm.

This armchair dates from the peak of Josep Palau Oller’s furniture design career, between 1930 and 1936. During this period, the designer progressively refined the Art Deco style of the previous decade and developed more austere and refined furniture, influenced by contemporary Central European designs.

The piece combines a structure of striking structural clarity with details of great formal subtlety. The vertical lines of the legs and the backrest are balanced by the continuous curvature of the armrests, whose gently sloping ends are one of the characteristic features of Palau Oller’s furniture.

Josep Palau Oller was a painter, textile designer, interior designer, and a leading figure in Catalan Art Deco furniture. He won a gold medal at the 1923 Barcelona International Furniture Exhibition and produced an extensive body of work, of which the Fundació Palau preserves more than 7,000 furniture models, in addition to numerous plans and technical drawings.