Mathieu Matégot

1910-2001

Mathieu Matégot is undoubtedly a precursor of contemporary design.

His involvement with innovative techniques and original forms made him one of the key players of the 50s, leaving his mark on the French style of this fertile post-war period.

As early as the ’40s, he spontaneously introduced the notion of creativity and aestheticism into the creation of everyday objects, favoring rattan and metal. He gave them a unique and unmistakable form. His stroke of genius came in 1945, when he pioneered the use of perforated sheet metal, a material discovered during his captivity in Germany. Inventing a new technique, he created a new material: first, he perforated the sheet metal with conventional cloverleaf patterns, then with small square or round holes. In 1952, he christened this openwork mesh, usually lacquered black, with the evocative name “Rigitulle”. He perfected a machine capable of folding, pleating and shaping sheet metal like fabric, giving him enormous freedom of expression (cf. the Java, Soumba, Bagdad, Satellite series, etc.).

His creativity is not limited to the use of metal; he also makes use of rattan, brass, formica, glass (sometimes engraved), different types of wood as well as fabric and leather, with infinite variations.

Mathieu Matégot’s other particularity lies in his incredible production of small, slightly old-fashioned but always charming furniture and everyday objects, for which he has invented “modern” shapes and lines (trays, wastepaper baskets, magazine racks, glass holders, planters, serving tables…). Exhibited at major trade shows (Salon des Arts Ménagers, Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, Arts de la table) and then distributed exclusively by the two-hundredths in decorating boutiques, these practical, clever, economical, durable and pleasant objects quickly met with great success, both with the press and the public.

They corresponded not only to the decorative trends of the time, but also to the cramped dimensions of the new apartments built during the reconstruction period…

Creator's artwork

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