Incollect Magazine - Issue 8

“ Incollect Magazine 99 What I love about the work of Jean Royere: of course it’s important, stylish, well made, and, while it’s unique in so many ways it also has a timelessness to it. But what I love most is that it has a sense of humor — it’s quirky — in the chicest way always!” — interior designer Robert Stilin “French mid-century design is one of the market standards in the design world,” says Francis Milord, who has been dealing in French mid-century design for decades from his eponymous galleries in New York and Montreal. He credits extensive scholarship of the period along with the increasing scarcity of pieces as factors in the popularity. “There are lots of books and knowledge and research about these designers and the period, and the pieces are often numbered and dated, which helped build the market.” Looking at auction records it is clear that collectors are willing to pay a premium for pieces with an unassailable attribution and provenance. Royère’s signature ‘polar bear’ sofa and chair designs command over $1 million at auction — most recently in 2022 at Christie's in Paris where a polar bear sofa, circa 1947, sold for $1.5 million. It is just one of a dozen auction records in the Artnet price database at prices over $1 million for Royère’s signature furniture and lighting. Royère items these days are rare and therefore have become especially expensive. He had a residual attachment to classical construction methods and as a consequence, many of his best designs were manufactured by hand and on a very small scale with the best materials available. There are fewer than 150 of his biomorphic polar bear sofas and chairs, according to the experts; the first pieces were designed in 1947 for the redecoration of his mother’s Parisian apartment. The polar bear series gets its nickname from their original lush white velvet covering. Other major French mid-century designers have experienced ballooning auction prices, along with an increased demand for their work. Charlotte Perriand hit the $1 million mark at auction at Christie's, Paris, in 2021 for one of her consoles, a special A vignette from Galerie André Hayat, Paris with pieces from Jean Royère: “Ondulaton” coffee table with red lacquered iron legs and red ceramic tile top. France, circa 1950s. Pair of “Petit Elephanteau” lounge chairs. Wool faux fur upholstery, oak legs. France, circa 1950s. “Millepatte” floor lamp, red lacquered wrought iron. France, circa 1950s. All from Galerie André Hayat on Incollect.com