Information on Jacques Gruber French, 1870–1936 Desk and Chair, ca. 1900 Mahogany with bronze Desk: 34 ½ in. high x 65 in. wide x 35 ½ in. deep; chair: 29 ½ in. high Jeanne and Irving Mathews Collection 2011.166.1 (desk); 2011.166.2 (chair)

Subject Matter Jacques Gruber designed this mahogany desk and matching chair, adorned by curvilinear lines and organic shapes that reference nature. Two small raised spade-shaped shelves at the back corners appear to rise from their supports—desk’s top and back legs, which in turn appear to grow down from the desk’s top. Wide, deeply molded and curved contours frame the desk’s large writing surface. The front apron of the desk has one drawer with two cast and finished bronze handles at either end of the drawer; these are shaped like twining vines.

The C-shaped chair back recalls the dramatic curve of the writing surface and functions as both back support and arm rests. Chair and desk legs alike mimic the gentle taper of a cat’s limb ending with a delicate paw. Upholstered in a chenille-like fabric, the chair seat incorporates a small leaf pattern in various shades of peach and ivory.

About Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (French for “new art”) flourished between 1890 and 1905 as a reaction against industrially mass-produced . An international movement and style of art, architecture, and decorative arts, the name derives from the Maison de l’Art Nouveau (“House of New Art”), an interior design gallery focused entirely on modern art that opened in in 1896 by the German art dealer S. Bing. The fame of his gallery increased at the 1900 Exposition Universelle, where Bing presented design- and color-coordinated installations of modern furniture, tapestries, and objets d’art. Bing’s displays became so strongly associated with the style that the name of his gallery subsequently provided a commonly used term for the entire Art Nouveau style.

Art Nouveau furniture produced in Nancy, , where Jacques Gruber initially designed, was characterized by the use of nature, specifically flowers and their parts as well as highly stylized, flowing curvilinear forms. Designers used these sinuous lines, often called whiplash curves, were used as in sculpted supports, moldings, marquetry, and landscape panels. The glass artist Emile Gallé (1846−1904) was at the center of the design community and founded the school École de Nancy.

About the Artist Born in Sundhouse in Alsace, Jacques Gruber received a scholarship from the city of Nancy, France, to study in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts. He studied under symbolist painter Gustave Moreau (1826–1898), who is said to have influenced Gruber’s artistic style for the remainder of his career.

Upon his return to Nancy in 1893, Gruber found work at Daum Glassworks working as a designer for the manufacturers Auguste Daum (1853–1909) and his brother, Antonin (1864–1931). He learned to engrave on glass, to fuse layers of glass, to use opalescent glass, and to perform other techniques in general. During this same time, Gruber taught decorative arts design at the École des Beaux-Arts Nancy. Known especially for his stained glass designs, Gruber was also sought after as a free-lance Art Nouveau designer in furniture, ceramics, and bookbinding. theMcNay Jacques Gruber Desk and Chair, ca. 1900

About the Artist continued Around 1897 Gruber opened an independent studio in Nancy, where he both designed and manufactured furniture and stained glass. He designed furniture for the cabinetmaker Louis Majorelle (1859–1926), a major luminary in Art Nouveau furniture; ceramic models for the brothers Joseph (1876–1961) and Pierre (1879–1955) Mougin; and bookbindings for René Wiener. While interested in all techniques involved in decorative arts, Gruber had by 1900 begun to specialize in leaded stained-glass windows and etched glass panels. His glass panels were frequently incorporated into his furniture. Two of Gruber’s glassworks, both Figural Motif Vase (1895) are in the Mathews Collection of Art Glass at the McNay.

In 1908 Gruber showed his works at the Salon d´Automne. He won a gold medal at the Salon des Artistes Francais in 1911. After World War I, Gruber moved to Paris and opened a glass studio at the Villa d´Alésia. Made a member of the Légion d´Honneur in 1924, Gruber remained active as a designer, primarily of stained glass assisted by his children Frances (1912–1948) and Jean-Jacques (1904–1988), until his death in 1936.

Strategies for Tours Primary Grades (ages 6–8): How does this object differ from the paintings and sculptures in the museum? How does this desk and chair compare to furniture in your house? Upper Elementary (ages 9–11): How is this desk similar to/different from your classroom desk? Which do you prefer? Why? How do symmetry and asymmetry apply to this desk? Middle School/High School (ages 12–18): Why would the designer include the raised supports on the desk? [Discuss form and function. Explain the relationship between the subject matter of the drawer’s bronze handles to the desk? Discuss design and style elements unique to Art Nouveau. Make a connection to and compare and contrast features of Hector Guimard’s Writing Desk Bookcase in the Zoch Gallery.] Adults: Is anyone familiar with Art Nouveau? [Reinforce contributions from group and describe characteristics of Art Nouveau, such as curving lines, whiplash curves, asymmetry, use of expensive materials. Make a connection to and compare and contrast features of Hector Guimard’s Writing Desk Bookcase in the Zoch Gallery. Use René Lalique’s black vase to demonstrate the difference between and Art Nouveau.]

Sources Worth Consulting Brandt, Fredrick R. Late 19th- and Early 20th-century Decorative Arts: The Sydney and Frances Lewis Collection in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Richmond, VA: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, University of Washington Press, 1985. Duncan, Alastair. Art Nouveau Furniture. New York: Clarkson N. Potter Inc., 1982. Greenhalgh, Paul. Art Nouveau: 1890–1914. New York: H. N. Abrams, 2000.

Prepared by Emily Cayuso Date Spring 2011 theMcNay