French Bronze Chair by Jacques-Pierre Dufresne, 1950s - 3 Available

A rare French bronze chair by Jacques-Pierre Dufresne, dating to the 1950s.

Cast in bronze with a richly developed verdigris patina, the chair reflects Dufresne's sculptural approach to furniture design. Stylized fish swim across the open backrest, while a reclining mermaid rests within the lower stretcher—a playful nod to the artist's fascination with the human figure and the natural world. Gently curved arms soften the geometric frame, giving the piece an elegant rhythm from every angle.

Each chair includes both a clear acrylic seat and a newly upholstered khaki green leather cushion. The leather adds warmth and softness, while the acrylic allows the bronze frame and sculptural details to remain fully visible.

Sold and priced individually.

About Jacques-Pierre Dufresne
Born into an artistic lineage, Dufresne (1922–2014) grew up in the studio of his father, the painter Charles Dufresne, surrounded by the language of form and gesture. His own path unfolded amid the restless energy of postwar France—a moment when sculpture was rethinking itself, searching for new vocabularies between the classical and the abstract.

Shaped by his friendship with neighbor Henri Laurens, Dufresne absorbed the discipline of structure and proportion while embracing the radical freedom of post-cubism. A member of the artist collective l’Échelle and a regular exhibitor at the Salon des Tuileries and Salon de Mai, he became part of a generation intent on reconciling the tactile with the conceptual—the body with the void.

This bronze chair is a rare and intimate expression of that pursuit: sculpture crossing into the world of design. Its verdigris patina carries the quiet authority of something unearthed, a fragment of lost antiquity. It is more than seating—it is a dialogue between eras, between hand and idea. A piece that feels at once ancient and avant-garde, reminding us of the mid-century moment when sculpture dared to step into everyday life.