Perforated Metal Tray Mathieu Matégot (1910-2001)

Openwork of clovers on the whole tray.

State of use, there are traces of wear visible in the photos.

Dimensions:
Diameter: 38.5 cm
Height: 3 cm

€180 per piece

Mathieu Matégot is undoubtedly a precursor of contemporary design. His involvement in innovative techniques and original forms made him one of the privileged actors of the 1950s, leaving his mark on the French style of this fertile post-war period. From the 1940s, he spontaneously introduced the notion of creation and aesthetics into the creation of everyday objects, favoring rattan and metal. It gives them a unique and identifiable form among all. His stroke of genius was to use, before anyone else, from 1945, and in a unique way, perforated sheet metal, a material discovered during his captivity in Germany. Inventing a new technique, he created a new material: he first perforated the sheet metal classically with cloverleaf patterns then with small square or round holes. In 1952, he named this openwork mesh, most often black lacquered, with the pretty, evocative name “Rigitulle”. He developed a machine capable of folding, pleating and shaping sheet metal like a fabric, which gave him increased freedom of expression (see the Java, Soumba, Bagdad, Satellite, etc. series). ). His creativity is not limited to the use of metal; he also uses rattan, brass, formica, glass (sometimes engraved), wood of different species but also fabric or leather with infinite variations. The other particularity of Mathieu Matégot lies in the incredible production of small pieces of furniture and everyday objects, somewhat outdated but always charming, for which he was able to invent “modern” shapes and lines (trays, waste baskets, door -magazines, glass holders, plant pots, serving tables, etc…). Exhibited at major trade fairs (Salon des Arts Ménagers, Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, Tableware) then distributed in two hundred copies exclusively in decoration shops, these elements are practical, clever, economical and durable. and pleasant quickly met with great success, both with the press and the public.