Utilitarian simplicity, graceful beauty

French architect and designer Jean Prouve (1901-1984) was one of the most important constructors of the 20th century. Prouve's design innovations included cleverly-shaped metal parts for building prefabricated structures; he designed buildings and furniture that could be produced with economy of labor and material and efficiency in use, while maintaining high technical standards and quality materials. His simple and elegant style, while born from the desire for inexpensive production, has become an imitable aesthetic and has earned him a position as one of the century`s most influential designers.

This introduction to Prouve"`s work gives a profound insight into the variety of his oeuvre and the progressiveness of his inspirational vision.

About the Series:
Every book in TASCHEN's Basic Architecture Series features:

* approximately 120 images, including photographs, sketches, drawings, and floor plans
* introductory essays exploring the architect's life and work, touching on family and background as well as collaborations with other architects
* the most important works presented in chronological order, with descriptions of client and/or architect wishes as well as construction problems and resolutions
* an appendix including a list of complete or selected works, biography, bibliography and a map indicating the locations of the architect's most famous buildings



About the author:
Nils Peters studied art history at the University of Hamburg, architecture at TFH Berlin, and urban sociology at Columbia University in New York. He has taught, published, and exhibited on the subject of architecture and has had his own practice since 1998.