Martin Szekely

1956

Martin Szekely was not a beginner per say when he started drawing the PI collection. But it represents a miles- tone in his work. He talks about it as an “identity expression”. PI is also the start of a lasting collaboration with the Néotù gallery – a fundamental place for the History of French design in the 80’s and 90’s – which showcased Szekely’s work in 1985. The chaise longue was its starting point. To create it, the young designer who was just past 25, was given carte blanche by VIA in 1982, an association founded in 1979 and which mission was to “develop the research and promote innovation in furniture design”. He wanted to produce the prototype of his deck chair using carbon fiber. But for technical reasons, it was finally built in sheet metal. The PI chaise longue will quickly become one of his most iconic creations of the decade. Its “drawing is so self-evident that it can be summarized in 5 pencil lines”,-wrote Pierre Staudenmeyer, Néotù’s founder.

Creator's artwork

Creator's exhibitions