Serge Mouille :: Biography
In 1937 at age 15, Serge Mouille began studying with silversmith Gabriel Lacroix. In 1952, he became director of the silversmith department at the School of Applied Arts in Paris. Soon after, he was commissioned by Jacques Adnet to develop lighting designs in reaction to the too complicated Italian designs that flooded the 1950's market. 1953 saw the birth of the standing lamp with 3 arms ending with the aluminum "nipple" shaped shades, which maximized the bulbs reflective qualities. This concept was often copied in mass-market designs of the late 1950s. Mouille made each of his lamps by hand, and never used machine technology to maximize production numbers.
His lamps were shown in the Steph Simon Gallery in Paris, from 1956 on, alongside the works of Charlotte Perriand, Isamu Noguchi, and Jean Prouve, where the French avant-garde looked for inspiration. This collaboration with Steph Simon forced him to solve lighting problems which led to some new models, most of them being favored by modernist architects and collectors around the world. The countless special orders included actor Henry Fonda who was so taken by Mouille's designs that he camped out on the steps of his workshop until Mouille would take a meeting with him. Fonda eventually purchased his lamp.
From 1962 to 1964, Mouille created and produced a final line of lamps, called "colonnes" (columns). An attempt to sell them through Knoll International did not meet with success because of the opposition of Florence Knoll. In spite of a very large demand, Mouille ceased production in 1964 and kept teaching at the School of Applied Arts. He died in 1988.
Serge Mouille received many awards in his career. He also created monumental sculptures, miniature jewelry, and rare pieces of furniture.