Pierre Paulin (1927 – 2009)

Armchair #1032

“Pierre Paulin Executive Office Collection” / 1988

Baker Furniture / Grand Rapids

Tall armchair in maple solids with birdseye maple back splats to front and back; front of splat with five vertical lines of walnut inlay. Slip seat.

24”W x 22.5”D x 40”H

Impressive armchairs, derived directly from Paulin’s 1984 design of the Francois Mitterand public office at the Elysee Palace. The five line walnut inlay motif, as seen here on the back splat, is the signature design element throughout the Baker collection.

Very good+ condition.  Shallow indentations to the arms of all chairs, as pulled up to a table; the finish is not broken. The chairs show quite nicely.

Four chairs available, sold only as pairs.

$3900 / pair

mm185

Additional Information

The compound curves of the chairs were labor intensive for Baker to craft. This resulted in quite high prices, which influenced the limited production.  As a Baker employee (1984 – 1991), I worked in the Baker factory where these chairs were crafted, at the time the Paulin Collection was made. I estimate total production at around 40 chairs.

With the strong references to the Mitterand pieces, this Model #1032 Chair represents Paulin’s link between those pieces and the Baker collection. Given Baker’s position as a premier American producer, an elegant vellum covered and beautifully photographed sales catalog was issued, with these chairs the most illustrated items in that catalog. This chair is illustrated on Page One, the inside front cover, with further references and illustrations as below.

Additional Items

We have two additional items available from Paulin's collection for Baker.  Both are original prototype tables from the Baker NEOCON introduction in 1988.  Click below for respective listings.