Serge Mouille
Encyclopedia
Serge Mouille was a French
industrial designer
and goldsmith
. He is best known for his light fixture
designs.
. At the age of 13 he was admitted to the École des Arts Appliqués. His area of study was metallurgy
and he earned a diploma in silversmithing.
After having worked a few years in the workshop of Gabriel Lacroix, he opened his own workshop in 1945 with the intention of creating silverware utensils.
In 1953 he began researching and designing light fixtures. During this period he was also supervising the gold smithing department at l'École des Arts Appliqués. In 1955 he was inducted into the Société des Artistes Décorateurs ("the Interior Decorators' Society").
The following year, Steph Simon opens a design gallery at 145 Bd St Germain in Paris. Displaying the work of Charlotte Perriand
and Jean Prouvé
, the gallery soon also features the work of Serge Mouille, Isamu Noguchi
, and Jean Luce. The designs of these artists soon become more widely known thanks to orders placed by institutions such as, Cité universitaire d’Antony, University of Strasbourg
, University of Aix-Marseille
, and Centre d’essais en vol de Brétigny.
Serge Mouille suffered from tuberculosis
for many years, and in 1959 he was forced to suspend his design activities and undergo treatment.
In 1961, thanks to the Société de Création des Modèles, he was able to exhibit his latest light fixture designs at the trade show Salon des arts ménagers. These designs combined the concepts of fluorescence
and incandescence
.
Production of his light fixtures stopped definitively in 1961.
Serge Mouille remains famous primarily for his minimalistic designs and use of uniformly black painted metal materials. His wall-mounted spot light fixture with articulated arms is typical for his discrete, yet highly functional designs.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
industrial designer
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
and goldsmith
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
. He is best known for his light fixture
Light fixture
A light fixture, light fitting, or luminaire is an electrical device used to create artificial light and/or illumination, by use of an electric lamp...
designs.
Biography
He was born and raised in a popular part of ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. At the age of 13 he was admitted to the École des Arts Appliqués. His area of study was metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
and he earned a diploma in silversmithing.
After having worked a few years in the workshop of Gabriel Lacroix, he opened his own workshop in 1945 with the intention of creating silverware utensils.
In 1953 he began researching and designing light fixtures. During this period he was also supervising the gold smithing department at l'École des Arts Appliqués. In 1955 he was inducted into the Société des Artistes Décorateurs ("the Interior Decorators' Society").
The following year, Steph Simon opens a design gallery at 145 Bd St Germain in Paris. Displaying the work of Charlotte Perriand
Charlotte Perriand
Charlotte Perriand , was a French architect and designer. Her work aimed to create functional living spaces in the belief that better design helps in creating a better society...
and Jean Prouvé
Jean Prouvé
-Images:**- External links :***...
, the gallery soon also features the work of Serge Mouille, Isamu Noguchi
Isamu Noguchi
was a prominent Japanese American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public works, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several mass-produced lamps and furniture pieces,...
, and Jean Luce. The designs of these artists soon become more widely known thanks to orders placed by institutions such as, Cité universitaire d’Antony, University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
, University of Aix-Marseille
University of Aix-Marseille
Aix-Marseille University is a public university in France created by the merger of the University of Provence, the University of the Mediterranean and the Paul Cézanne University...
, and Centre d’essais en vol de Brétigny.
Serge Mouille suffered from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
for many years, and in 1959 he was forced to suspend his design activities and undergo treatment.
In 1961, thanks to the Société de Création des Modèles, he was able to exhibit his latest light fixture designs at the trade show Salon des arts ménagers. These designs combined the concepts of fluorescence
Fluorescence
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation of a different wavelength. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore lower energy, than the absorbed radiation...
and incandescence
Incandescence
Incandescence is the emission of light from a hot body as a result of its temperature. The term derives from the Latin verb incandescere, to glow white....
.
Production of his light fixtures stopped definitively in 1961.
Serge Mouille remains famous primarily for his minimalistic designs and use of uniformly black painted metal materials. His wall-mounted spot light fixture with articulated arms is typical for his discrete, yet highly functional designs.