Joseph André Motte

© Demisch Danant
Coiffeuse © T. Depagne / Demisch Danant, © Thierry Depagne, courtesy of Demisch Danant
Motte's apartment © Demisch Danant, courtesy of Demisch Danant
Tripod Chair © T. Depagne / Demisch Danant, © Thierry Depagne, courtesy of Demisch Danant

Born in France in 1925, Joseph-André Motte studied at the École des Arts Appliqués, where he graduated at the top of his class. Along with contemporaries Pierre Guariche, Michel Mortier, René Jean Caillette, and Pierre Paulin, Motte was instrumental in formulating the French take on Modernism in the post-war era, favoring industrial materials and experimental forms over the traditional decorative arts approach to furniture design.

Motte’s career was marked by a number of prestigious commissions; interiors and furnishings for the Orly and Roissy airports, the Musée du Louvre, and the Préfecture du Val d’Oise. His iconic furniture designs include the Tripod Chair and the Presidential Desk. Though Motte pioneered a contemporary aesthetic, his work reveals the time-honored French allegiance to elegance and urbane living.