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Laffanour I Galerie Downtown

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France
Paris
Laffanour I Galerie Downtown

Since 1982 — Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier and 20th-century architects and designers.

Depuis son ouverture au début des années 80, la galerie Downtown, créée par François Laffanour, a exploré, montré au fil de ses expositions, et réhabilité un domaine laissé en friche, celui du mobilier d’architectes du XXe siècle. Créateurs – architectes pour la plupart – européens et américains qui, au lendemain de la seconde guerre mondiale, ont apporté une autre conception dans l’art de se meub

ler, dictée par un besoin de liberté et d’efficacité, au service d’un nouvel art de vivre dans une époque de développement technologique et scientifique. La galerie Downtown détient également les archives de la galerie Steph Simon qui, de 1956 à 1974, vendait le mobilier de Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Serge Mouille, Georges Jouve, Le Corbusier ou encore Isamu Noguchi.Depuis 2004, la galerie Downtown a l’exclusivité pour les meubles de Ron Arad. Galerie Downtown – François Laffanour specializes in furniture by European and American masters of design – most of them architects – of the 20th century. For the past twenty five years, the gallery has organized thematic and monographic exhibitions on designers such as Jean Prouvé, Le Corbusier, Charles and Ray Eames, Carlo Mollino and Charlotte Perriand. Shortly after the Second World War, this generation of designers brought a new concept to the art of furnishing, dictated by a need for freedom and functionality – a new « art de vivre » in a time of technological and scientific advances – creating for the first time forms that were pure and without ornament. Galerie Downtown owns also the Galerie Steph Simon archives. Steph Simon was the producer of Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Serge Mouille, Georges Jouve as well as Isamu Noguchi furniture, from 1956 to 1974. Since 2004, galerie Downtown has the exclusive rights for the Ron Arad’s Furniture.

30/05/2026

‘Committee’ armchairs by Pierre Jeanneret, ca. 1960

Conceived to furnish the newly planned Indian capital alongside Le Corbusier’s monumental architecture, the chairs combines functional simplicity with a powerful sculptural presence. Its solid teak structure reveals Pierre Jeanneret’s mastery of proportion and construction, while the generous armrests and distinctive angular lines give the piece its unmistakable character.

This example retains its exceptional original green skai upholstery, beautifully contrasting with the warmth of the teak and preserving the authenticity of its period use.

Balancing comfort, utility, and architectural rigor, the armchairs embodies the spirit of Chandigarh — where furniture was conceived not as decoration, but as an integral extension of modern living and civic space.

For inquiries — DM us or contact: [email protected]

28/05/2026

‘Standard’ chairs by Jean Prouvé, ca. 1950

Developed during the 1930s and refined throughout the following decades, the chair responds to a simple engineering principle: the rear legs bear most of the weight and therefore require greater strength. Jean Prouvé translated this observation into a distinctive silhouette composed of folded black lacquered steel sheet legs supporting a wooden seat and backrest.

Balancing industrial rigor with visual lightness, the ‘Standard’ chair became a landmark of postwar French modernism and remains one of the clearest expressions of Jean Prouvé’s dialogue between architecture, engineering, and everyday use.

For inquiries — DM us or contact: [email protected]

26/05/2026

‘Armée du Salut’ table by Le Corbusier, ca. 1933

Designed for the iconic Armée du Salut building in Paris, this table reflects Le Corbusier’s pursuit of functional clarity and architectural precision applied at every scale of design.

Reduced to its essential elements, the piece combines a rectangular oak top with four slender metal legs, expressing a restrained modernist vocabulary where proportion, utility, and structure exist in perfect balance.

Originally conceived as part of the furnishing program for the Cité de Refuge — one of Le Corbusier’s most socially ambitious architectural projects — the table embodies the architect’s vision of modern living through rational and elegant forms.

Both discreet and rigorously constructed, the ‘Armée du Salut’ table stands as a testament to Le Corbusier’s ability to translate architectural principles into timeless everyday objects.

For inquiries — DM us or contact: [email protected]

23/05/2026

Private collection, New York

- Green ‘Ours Polaire’ sofa by Jean Royère, ca. 1950
- Stools by Charlotte Perriand, ca. 1960

Set within a wider ensemble, these post-war works unfold in dialogue with the ‘Ammonite’ coffee table by Maria Pergay (1972), and a work by Christopher Wool, where sculptural softness meets conceptual rigor, articulating a fluid continuity between French decorative modernism and contemporary artistic practice.

21/05/2026

‘LC VII’ floor lamp by Le Corbusier, ca. 1960

Originally conceived for the monumental architecture of Chandigarh, the ‘LC VII’ reflects Le Corbusier’s vision of light as an extension of space itself — functional, graphic, and rigorously modern.

Its orientable “diabolo” shade, composed of two opposing cones in black and yellow lacquered aluminium, creates a sharp interplay of geometry, colour, and directed light. Mounted on a slender tubular base, the lamp reduces form to a pure architectural gesture.

Commissioned specifically for the Chandigarh Assembly, this work is part of a broader architectural vision in which every element—from the furniture to the lighting—has been designed to blend seamlessly into a cohesive modernist environment.

Both sculptural and utilitarian, the piece embodies Le Corbusier’s ability to translate architectural principles into objects of remarkable clarity and presence.

For inquiries — DM us or contact: [email protected]

17/05/2026

From Jean Royère to Donald Judd, Charlotte Perriand to Rachel Whiteread, our booth brings together a constellation of designers and artists whose works continue to redefine the language of form.

Rare modernist pieces, sculptural lighting, and contemporary silver by Puiforcat compose an atmosphere suspended between architecture, art object, and interior.

On view at at the Park Avenue Armory, through Tuesday, May 19.

Booth 376

© Peter Baker

09/05/2026

'Polar Bear' sofa by Jean Royère, ca. 1952

A study in softness and volume: an enveloping, organic silhouette resting on a discreet cylindrical wooden base, each curve drawn with instinctive precision. The deep green velvet enhances its tactile presence, amplifying the contrast between plush comfort and underlying structure — a signature balance in Jean Royère’s work.

Commissioned for an apartment in Neuilly-sur-Seine (France), this piece reflects a moment where design embraces both fantasy and refinement.

On view next week at TEFAF New York | Booth 376

For inquiries — DM us or contact: [email protected]

07/05/2026

New display at the gallery!

Charlotte Perriand’s 'Nuage' bookcase (ca. 1956) occupies a central position in the space: architectural, suspended. Opposite it, the sensual curve of a sofa by Vladimir Kagan (ca. 1950). In the center, a striking table by Paolo Pallucco (1990), with bold, cubic lines.

Around them, a tightly edited selection — Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, George Nakashima, Pierre Jeanneret, Isamu Noguchi… each piece placed like a note, building a precise, balanced tension.

18 rue de Seine, Paris

05/05/2026

Pierre Jeanneret’s Chandigarh chair (ca. 1955) in quiet dialogue with Jean Prouvé’s aluminum vents (1956) — raw structure, subtle tension, and a pure clarity of line.

For inquiries — DM us or contact: [email protected]

02/05/2026

Square table by Charlotte Perriand, ca. 1965

A study in balance and proportion: a square mahogany top resting on four cylindrical legs, each element reduced to its purest expression.

The warmth of the wood contrasts with the strict geometry, revealing Charlotte Perriand’s ability to merge material sensitivity with structural clarity.

Edited by Steph Simon, this piece reflects a moment where design becomes both essential and quietly radical.

More than a table, a composition of volume and rhythm — where simplicity holds its own presence.

For inquiries — DM us or contact: [email protected]

Adresse

18 Rue De Seine
Paris
75006

Heures d'ouverture

Mardi	10:30 - 19:00
Mercredi	10:30 - 19:00
Jeudi	10:30 - 19:00
Vendredi	10:30 - 19:00
Samedi	10:30 - 19:00

Site Web

http://www.galeriedowntown.com/

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