Eugène Vallin
Encyclopedia
Eugène Vallin was a French
furniture
designer and manufacturer, as well as an architect
.
His first projects were for church interiors and furniture but quickly he became a disciple of Art Nouveau, in part under the influence of Émile Gallé
, for whom he created the door of Gallé's new studios. But he was most famous for his furniture, designing entire living rooms and dining room ensembles for notable personalities in Nancy, including Jean-Baptiste "Eugène" Corbin, Charles Masson, Albert Bergeret, and others.
In 1895-6, he built a new studio and his own house on the Boulevard Lobau in Nancy, which became what is now considered (in a crude form) the first Art Nouveau edifice in the city with the help of his friend, architect Georges Biet. In return, Vallin was responsible for the furniture that adorned Biet's house at 22, rue de la Commanderie, in Nancy.
In 1901, along with Antonin Daum and Louis Majorelle
, Vallin became one of three vice-presidents of the board of directors of the École de Nancy
.
In architecture, he was one of the pioneers of construction in concrete
reinforced by steel, a technique he used for the construction of the pavilion of the École de Nancy at the International Exposition of the East of France in 1909.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
designer and manufacturer, as well as an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
.
Life and career
Vallin studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Nancy. He was apprenticed in the studio of his uncle, also a furniture maker, beginning in 1881.His first projects were for church interiors and furniture but quickly he became a disciple of Art Nouveau, in part under the influence of Émile Gallé
Émile Gallé
Émile Gallé was a French artist who worked in glass, and is considered to be one of the major forces in the French Art Nouveau movement.- Biography :...
, for whom he created the door of Gallé's new studios. But he was most famous for his furniture, designing entire living rooms and dining room ensembles for notable personalities in Nancy, including Jean-Baptiste "Eugène" Corbin, Charles Masson, Albert Bergeret, and others.
In 1895-6, he built a new studio and his own house on the Boulevard Lobau in Nancy, which became what is now considered (in a crude form) the first Art Nouveau edifice in the city with the help of his friend, architect Georges Biet. In return, Vallin was responsible for the furniture that adorned Biet's house at 22, rue de la Commanderie, in Nancy.
In 1901, along with Antonin Daum and Louis Majorelle
Louis Majorelle
Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle, usually known simply as Louis Majorelle, was a French decorator and furniture designer who manufactured his own designs, in the French tradition of the ébéniste...
, Vallin became one of three vice-presidents of the board of directors of the École de Nancy
Musée de l'École de Nancy
The Musée de l'École de Nancy is a museum devoted to the École de Nancy, an Art Nouveau movement founded in 1901 by Émile Gallé, Victor Prouvé, Louis Majorelle, Antonin Daum and Eugène Vallin in the city of Nancy in Lorraine...
.
In architecture, he was one of the pioneers of construction in concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
reinforced by steel, a technique he used for the construction of the pavilion of the École de Nancy at the International Exposition of the East of France in 1909.