French architect, sculptor and designer André Arbus was destined to become one of the 20th century’s finest furniture makers. According to him, the craft was in his blood. “I come from an old family of cabinetmakers,” he once said. “From father to son for a very long time. In other words, I was born in a cabinet-making workshop.”
Born in Toulouse in 1903, Arbus spent his childhood working in his father’s business which sold reproductions of 18th century French furniture. He later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse under sculptor Henry Parayre.
After graduating, Arbus returned to work with his father as the business’s artistic director. When his father retired, Arbus transformed the company from selling furniture reproductions to one that produced his own formidable designs, including cocktail tables, sofa tables and floor lamps that merged neoclassicism with Art Deco and featured alluring modernist characteristics.
In 1925, Arbus exhibited at several shows, including the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, Exposition des Arts Décoratifs, Salon d’Automne, the Gallery L’Epoque and won a medal at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, which brought the Art Deco style to the global stage.
Arbus moved to Paris in 1932, won the prestigious Premier Prix Blumenthal in 1934 and opened his own gallery in 1935. His sconces, chandeliers and dining room tables attracted a steady clientele of some of Paris’s wealthiest. Arbus exhibited at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York and, throughout the 1940s, received numerous notable commissions. The French government gave many of his pieces as gifts to visiting foreign heads of state. He furnished several luxury ocean liners, collaborated with Maison Veronese on a line of lighting fixtures and was tasked to build a jewel cabinet for Princess Elizabeth.
In 1946, Arbus participated in the refurbishment of the Élysée Palace and the Château de Rambouillet with fellow French architects and designers Louis Süe and Jean-Charles Moreux.
Arbus focused on sculpture throughout the 1950s until he died in 1969, drawing inspiration from eminent sculptors such as Vadim Androusov and Sylva Bernt. Today, Arbus’s works can be found in museums around the world.
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage André Arbus lighting, tables and seating.
$3,950 / set
Andre Arbus Pair of Sconces
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Superb pair of three arms bronze sconces by Andre Arbus. US rewired and in working condition. Three lights, 60 watts max per bulb.
Brass
André Arbus, Pair of Mahogany Armchairs with Caned Back and Seat, circa 1950
By André Arbus
Located in NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FR
A pair of mahogany armchairs by André Arbus (1903–1969), executed circa 1950. The winged flat armrests, sheath and sabre legs, and caned back and seat place these pieces within the n...
Wood, Mahogany
1950's Murano glass floor lamp By André Arbus for Veronèse
By André Arbus
Located in Bois-Colombes, FR
1950's Murano glass floor lamp by André Arbus for Veronèse No shade included Dimensions given without shade Newly re-wired
Murano Glass
$23,920Sale Price / set|20% Off
Sycamore Armchairs by André Arbus, Art Deco Fabric, France, 1950
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of Sycamore Armchairs by French Designer André Arbus upholstered in an Art Deco pattern fabric. Documented in the Andre Arbus book. Made in Franc...
Silk, Sycamore
$5,711Sale Price|20% Off
André Arbus, Rectangular Swivel Table with Ceruse Oak, circa 1950
By André Arbus
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
André Arbus, rectangular swivel table with ceruse oak. Furniture created by André Arbus for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Loiret (Pays de la Loire) in the 1950s. Measures: ...
Oak
André Arbus, Les Quatre Continents, Armoire w/ Painted Panels, France, 1948
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Two-door armoire decorated with four neoclassical paintings by Jean-Paul Delhumeau (France, 1922-2003) representing four continents—Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Maker's m...
Oak
Mid-Century Sycamore Wood Coffee Table by André Arbus
By André Arbus
Located in Miami, FL
Sycamore wood round table/coffee table by French designer André Arbus.
Sycamore
1937 Coffee Table by André Arbus and Jean Dunand
By André Arbus
Located in Paris, FR
Low coffee table or gue´ridon in irregular turtle-shell color Chinese lacquer. Basin shape top with curved sides. Four shaped legs. Mirror top with a gilded 'e´glomise´' decor of a red and blue flowery branches frieze. Stamped 'Andre´ Arbus' as cabinetmaker. Lacquer work attributed to Jean Dunand. A facsimile of the original invoice with header 'Andre Arbus, 24 avenue Matignon, dated 19 Avril 1937'. Will be given to the buyer. Bibliography: Reproduced in Mobilier et de´coration, Revue mensuelle des arts de´coratifs applique´s et de l'architecture moderne, Editions Edmond Honore...
Lacquer, Mirror, Wood
$21,500
Andre Arbus Coffee Table
By André Arbus
Located in Philadelphia, PA
French Forties Art Deco coffee table by Andre Arbus, circa 1938, in sculpted mahogany with mahogany veneers. 49" long x 19.5" deep x 18" high. Signed on un...
Mahogany
French Drawing in Pen and Gouache by André Arbus, Paris, 1938
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Gouache and pen work by André Arbus (1903-1969). Signed Andre Arbus. Origin: Drawing of dining table by Andre Arbus for the apartment of Mme Pedersen, Paris, 1938. Literature:...
André Arbus, 1940 Ceiling Light, Veronese Editions
By André Arbus
Located in Mouscron, WHT
André Arbus, 1940 ceiling light, Veronese editions, Circa 1930-1940. Murano glass and crystal.
Crystal