Galerie Patrick Seguin
Design Miami/ Basel 2017

First built in 1944 to rehouse war victims in Lorraine, these houses survived the postwar
period in very limited numbers.
Doubly involved in regeneration of the region –as a native of Nancy and a builder of genius–
Jean Prouvé won an order for emergency housing from the Ministry of Reconstruction and
Town Planning. Readily transported and dismantled, his “shacks” made entirely of wood
and metal (of which the latter was in very short supply) were a real architectural coup. The
components were shipped directly to bomb-devastated villages, where they could be assembled
on site in a day by three people, enabling the homeless to stay on.
Unfortunately, the shortage of materials and funding together with official emphasis on the need
for permanent housing meant that production of these transitional dwellings never passed
beyond the limited series stage.
Founded in 1989, Galerie Patrick Seguin has brought the talents of French designers such as
Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier and Jean Royère into the
spotlight. Simultaneously, the gallery has equally devoted itself to the promotion of Jean Prouvé’s
demountable architecture through international exhibitions, in particular by presenting these
works at fairs including DesignMiami/ Basel.