For its new exhibition, Maison Verrsen highlights Pierre Guariche's remarkable work on the La Plagne ski resort. The La Plagne project began in 1962-1963, when the resort was still in its infancy. In 1967, Pierre Guariche and eminent architect Michel Bezançon were commissioned to bring the first architectural gem, the Hôtel France, to life. Partly financed by the Transatlantique company, this establishment was divided into 80 rooms and 215 apartments. Guariche was also in charge of fitting out a chapel on the first floor.
Among the hereditary treasures of this edifice and exposed here, a table at a table which comes hanging on a strip in pine, an armoire suspended, stools, sliding wooden wood slides decorated with their orange bulbs or chromed. Published by Negroni, this furniture is a testament to Guariche's genius.
These emblematic pieces by Pierre Guariche have also found their way into the apartments of the Aime 2000 real estate project, which is the largest building to reach an altitude of 2000 meters. This architectural feat also features shopping arcades on the first floor, bringing a bold modernity to the area. The complex was the first large-scale resort to be built from scratch in the Alps.
In keeping with her work, Maison Verrsen is also exhibiting a number of pieces by Charlotte Perriand. Tables, consoles, seats, lighting strips, benches, wall lights, most of them from Arc 1600, where the first buildings were erected between 1968 and 1974. Among these is a rare table from the restaurant of the Hôtel La Cachette.
Dialoguing with the furniture is a photographic work from the collection of David Magnin, owner of the archives of photographer Gaston Karquel, who was active from the 1950s to the 1970s, documenting the work of designer architects of the period (Perriand, Prouvé, Le Corbusier...).
The photographs on display represent the Maison du Sahara, a project designed and built by Jean Prouvé in 1958 and presented that same year in the gardens of the Grand Palais for the Salon des Arts Ménagers. The house consists of a large metal structure on which is stretched a canvas housing several living cells.
The house was installed for the event, then dismantled to disappear from the market. Printed in an edition of 8 by Diamantino, these unpublished and extremely rare photographs bear precious witness to Prouvé's boldness and creative genius, capturing a fleeting moment in the history of architecture and design.