Pierre Chapo, S10 armchair, c. 1965
PIERRE CHAPO (1927-1987)
Pierre Chapo was first interested in painting, but his encounter with a shipbuilding carpenter in 1947 introduced him to wood and woodworking, leading him to pursue architectural studies at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. After traveling through Scandinavia and Central America and working for a year in the United States, he returned to Paris and pursued his interest in wood, crafting furniture mainly from solid oak, elm, ash, and teak, guided by an equal commitment to contemporary design and traditional craftsmanship.
He opened a gallery on boulevard de l’Hôpital in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, where, alongside his own creations, he displayed the work of other craftsmen and artists such as Isamu Noguchi, with whom he shared a sculptural and organic approach to design. It was in his Clamart studio that he created his first models: the L01, known as “Godot,” ordered by Samuel Beckett, as well as the table T01 and stool S01.
From the 1960s onward, he contributed to numerous projects alongside Charlotte Perriand, Serge Mouille, and Georges Jouve. Influenced by Charlotte Perriand’s work for the Alpine ski resort of Les Arcs, his participation in the 1967 Société des artistes décorateurs exhibition earned him a bronze medal. That same year, he moved to Gordes, near Avignon in Provence, and began his furniture business, producing bold, rugged designs rooted in tradition.
Alongside his steady work in design, he also gave lectures in France and abroad on cabinetmaking, joinery, wood, tradition, creation, and sincerity. In 1983, Pierre Chapo was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and died in 1987, shortly before his sixtieth birthday.
