PIERRE PAULIN (1927–2009) DESIGNER & LICENSED PRODUCTION BY MOBILIER NATIONAL Élysée – Smoking Room, a bench version of the armchair (ottoman with backrest) originally designed in [1971] for the smoking room of the Élysée Palace during the presidency of Georges Pompidou A two-seater bench; fully upholstered in blue wicker-weave fabric. The seat and backrest are curved. The base is recessed and lacquered brown. Early 1970s edition; possibly produced by the A.R.C. (Atelier de Recherche et de Création). Upholstery in poor condition. Height: 67 cm – Length: 135 cm – Depth: 72 cm Public collections and related works: Mobilier National, Paris – Heated versions produced by the A.R.C. are held in this institution’s collections under inventory numbers GMC 196/001/002/003. Bibliography and related exhibitions: - Anne Chapoutot, with a foreword by Yvonne Brunhammer – *Pierre Paulin, a Universe of Forms* – Éditions Du May, Paris, 1992. Armchair versions are reproduced on pages 90–91 and 94–95. - Various authors – National Center for the Visual Arts, The Mobilier National Research and Creation Workshop, 1964–2000: A Plea for Contemporary Furniture – Catalog of the exhibition held at the Galerie nationale de Beauvais (March 15–September 15, 2001), Éditions Administration générale du Mobilier national, Paris, 2001. Versions of the armchairs are reproduced on page 51 (no. 52). - Myriam Zuber-Cupissol (ed.) – Mobilier National 1964–2004: 40 Years of Creation – Catalog of the exhibition held at the Palais de la Porte Dorée, Paris (October 20, 2004 – January 16, 2005); Musée d’Art et d’Industrie, Saint-Étienne (November 6, 2004 – January 10, 2005), Published by Réunion des musées nationaux & Mobilier national, Paris, 2004. Versions of the armchairs are reproduced on pages 52 and 53 (no. 17). - Catherine Geel (ed.) – Pierre Paulin, Designer – Catalog of the exhibition held at the Musée des Arts Contemporains, Grand-Hornu, Belgium (March 9 – June 22, 2008), Published by Archibooks + Sautereau/Grand Hornu Images, Paris/Grand-Hornu, 2008. Armchair versions reproduced on pages 122 and 123. - Nadine Descendre – Pierre Paulin: The Man and His Work – Éditions Albin Michel, Paris, 2014. Reproductions of the armchair versions on pages 147, 154, and 155. - Cloé Pitiot – Paulin – Exhibition catalog for the exhibition held at the Centre Pompidou, Paris (May 11–August 22, 2016), Éditions du Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2016. Reproductions of the armchairs appear on pages 97 and 149.