Charlotte Perriand

designed 1954 for the Synthèse des Arts exhibition at the Takashimaya department store, Tokyo

Galerie 54, Paris

Charlotte Perriand, Un Art de Vivre, exh. cat., Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 1985, pp. 48-50 and fig. 39
Arlette Barré-Despond, UAM:  Union des Artistes Modernes, Paris, 1986, p. 483
Charlotte Perriand - Fernand Léger, une connivence, exh. cat., Musée National Fernand Léger, Biot, 1999, p. 58
Charlotte and Peter Fiell, 1000 Chairs, Cologne, 2000, p. 377
Charlotte Perriand:  Interior Equipment, exh. cat., The Architectural League of New York, New York, 1997, pp. 58-59
Patrick Favardin, Les Décorateurs des années 50, Paris, 2002, pp. 136-137
Mary McLeod, ed., Charlotte Perriand:  An Art of Living, New York, 2003, pp. 145, 146, and 235
Doug Ngo and Eric Pfeiffer, Bent Ply:  The Art of Plywood Furniture, New York, 2003, p. 114
Charlotte Perriand, Charlotte Perriand:  A Life of Creation:  An Autobiography, New York, 2003, figs. 52 and 55

With the blessing of the Japanese government and the patronage of the French embassy, Charlotte Perriand, with Junzo Sakakura and Martha Villiger, created the Synthèse des Arts exhibition at the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo to show furniture and art by Western designers and artists.  Le Corbusier and Fernand Léger contributed tapestries, sculptures, and paintings.  Although the stackable chairs were designed for the exhibition and are often times referred to as the Synthèse des Arts chairs, they were actually called Shadow chairs.  ''And why 'shadow'?  To indicate their dark hue, which makes them invisible around a table, like the manipulators of Bunraku marionettes totally sheathed in black'' (Charlotte Perriand from Charlotte Perriand:  Interior Equipment, exh. cat., The Architectural League of New York, New York, 1997, p. 57).

The first Shadow chairs were produced in Japan, and a few prototypes were produced by Galerie Steph Simon in Paris where they were displayed much like they were at the Synthèse des Arts exhibition.  However, the model was never released by Perriand for production in France due to her concerns about their stability.  More recently, Tendo Mokko in Japan has been manufacturing the chairs in both natural and black plywood.