MARCEL COARD ( 1889-1974)
Updated: Apr 23, 2025
Born on June 30, 1889, in a wealthy family of annuitants and bankers, Marcel Coard joined the École Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris in spite of his father's reluctance.
His career as a furniture designer was initiated in the summer of 1914 with a commission from Jacques Doucet - patron of the arts and couturier - who asked him to furnish his Paris home in the most avant-garde style.
Marcel Coard was amongst the greatest decorators of the 30s who dominated the Art Deco period. He catered to a select handful of clients with furniture that transcended the historicism and modernism of that period. The sought-after artist was inspired by Cubist, African and Oceanic art to design his furniture and worked with famous cabinetmakers such as Chanaux and Pelletier (which was bought out in October 1930 by Jean-Michel Frank when he was artistic director).
His style was a formative inspiration for Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé and Karl Lagerfeld.
Marcel Coard was also know for decorating the chateau of Paul Cocteau next to Tours in France.
The designer was renown for using precious materials such as vellum, mother-of-pearl, ivory, snakeskin, lacquer and lapis lazuli and even galuchat. Some of this techniques he used were the crushing of eggshells into tiny particles in a lacquered ground to cover panels such as this side table below sold at Christies in 2015.
Jacques Doucet had a great influence on Marcel's creative output which can be reflected in his creation - the famous canapé gondole in 1924 below, that was displayed on the avenue du Bois. It was reproduced in 1925 for an article in Fémina before being installed in the provocative rue Saint-James salon in 1928.
Made of Indian rosewood and inlaid with two rows of ivory, the front feet are rounded with an ovoid aesthetic. This work achieved the second-highest price at the auction of Doucet's estate which took place in 1972 - only surpassed by the screen of Eileen Gray. This work is nowadays showcased at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richhmond. (VMFA).
This outstanding piece is the archetypical of quintessential Art Deco style.
The above canapé sold at Phillips back in 2016 is the only other example in which Marcel Coard duplicated a model previously made for Doucet. The difference is the ivory has been replaced for silvered bronze (which is now oxidised) whilst retaining the carved basketwork-motif over the entire structure.
This sofa remains one of my favourite works of that period - Streamlined curves alternate with chunky geometries.
Art historians do not know the origin of the commission despite extensive research but only two versions are known of this model. The 2016 Phillips auction (Lot 15) fetched an eye-watering price of £974,500.
His trademark comes with his name followed by a parrot profile. Later in the 1940's his style evolved with the use of wrought iron and marble which can be reminiscent of the work of Jean-Charles Moreux.
