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Finding aid for the Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann drawings and papers, 1924-1936
2002.M.18
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Title: Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann drawings and papers
Date (inclusive): 1924-1936
Number: 2002.M.18
Creator/Collector:
Ruhlmann, Emile-Jacques, 1879-1933
Physical Description:
25.0 linear feet
(11 boxes, 1 roll)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, California, 90049-1688
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: The Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann drawings and papers detail the later work of this French Art Deco interior and furniture designer.
This collection of interior design drawings displays a cross section of Ruhlmann's most productive period and forms a significant
resource for the study of the history of modernism in French decorative arts. Included in this collection are twenty-four
portfolios for seventeen design projects that document perspective views, floor plans, and interior design details. Materials
are largely visual, comprised of original sketches, drawings, stencils, and renderings. Scattered throughout the collection
are several handwritten notes, financial statements, and textual records.
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Language: Collection material is in
French.
Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, a Parisian interior and furniture designer, was born on August 28, 1879. Ruhlmann, a central figure
in the development of the French Art Deco movement, was best known for his lavish, luxury interiors for wealthy elites.
Ruhlmann was interested in design from an early age when he began sketching everyday life. In 1900, with no formal training
in cabinetmaking, Ruhlmann produced his first furniture design. It was at this time that he established a lifelong friendship
with the architect and his future collaborator, Pierre Patout. In 1901, Ruhlmann began his study of landscape painting, which
later became a lifelong hobby. He married Marguerite Seabrook in 1907. That same year, after the death of his father, Ruhlmann
inherited Société Ruhlmann, his father's business that specialized in painting, wallpaper, and mirrors. From 1914 to 1918,
Ruhlmann devoted himself to furniture-making after being declared unfit for military services in 1914. In 1919 he established
the firm Ruhlmann et Laurent (REL) in Paris with Pierre Laurent, his friend and fellow decorating contractor.
In the 1920s, Ruhlmann joined several organizations, among them the Salon d'Automne and Société des Artistes Décorateurs.
He was also involved in numerous exhibitions, including the
Salon d'Automne and the 1925 Paris
Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. Ruhlmann's Pavillon du Collectionneur (also known as the Hôtel du Collectionneur) in the 1925 Exposition, was the most admired
attraction at the fair and brought much fame and success to Ruhlmann. In 1924, Éditions Albert Morancé published
"Harmonies": Intérieurs de Ruhlmann, a portfolio of Ruhlmann's interior design works from 1918 to 1924, presented by Romanian architect, Jean Badovici.
In August 1933, after a sudden illness, Ruhlmann wrote a detailed will planning the closure of his business upon his death.
Ruhlmann died in Paris on November 15, 1933.
During the course of his life Ruhlmann changed his first name from Jacques-Émile to Émile-Jacques, leading to a certain amount
of confusion among scholars as to the correct form of his name. He was registered as Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann at birth and many
publications of his time referred to him as such. Among his colleagues and friends, he was known variously as Jacques-Émile,
Émile, and Milo, though he was most commonly referred to as Ruhlmann. Ruhlmann himself appears to have preferred Émile-Jacques,
EJ, or Émile, as evidenced in many written records he created. Moreover, many of his earlier works have monogrammed initials
arranged as either EJR or ER, though over time he simplified this to just his last initial R.
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Contact
Library Reproductions and Permissions .
Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann drawings and papers, 1924-1936, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2002.M.18.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2002m18
Acquired in 2002.
Jennifer Maiko Kishi rehoused and created the finding aid for the collection in 2013 under the supervision of Ann Harrison.
The Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann drawings and papers held by the Getty Research Institute represent only a portion of the designer's
archive. Further collections of Ruhlmann's drawings are held by the Musée des Années 30 and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
in Paris.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann drawings and papers detail the later work of this French Art Deco interior and furniture designer.
This collection of interior design drawings displays a cross section of Ruhlmann's most productive period and forms a significant
resource for the study of the history of modernism in French decorative arts. Though many of the materials are undated, based
on drawing and paper inscriptions from the collection, dealer's inventory, and research, the materials can be dated to between
1924 and 1936. Project titles are based on information provided in portfolio inscriptions and dealer's inventory.
Included in this collection are twenty-four portfolios for seventeen design projects that document perspective views, floor
plans, furniture designs, and interior design details. Materials are largely visual, comprised of original sketches, drawings,
stencils, and renderings. Scattered throughout the collection are several handwritten notes, financial statements, and textual
records. The portfolios are labeled by project, but some drawings may be incorrectly filed.
Ruhlmann was a prolific "ensemblier" who designed furniture, wallpaper, carpet, floor coverings, window draperies, upholstery,
and lighting. This collection provides rare visual documentation of Ruhlmann's conceptual design works through preliminary
drawings and sketches. Notable clients represented in the collection include: André Tardieu, French Prime Minister from the
1920s; Daniël George Van Beuningen, Dutch collector and businessman; André Granet, architect; and Paul Rodier, textile and
silk producer. The collection also provides documentation of Ruhlmann's last major interior design project for André Granet.
This project began in 1932 and was completed by Alfred Porteneuve, Ruhlmann's nephew, in 1934 after Ruhlmann's death.
Projects arranged alphabetically by client name.
Art Deco--France
Decoration and ornament--Art Deco
Furniture design--France--History--20th century
Interior decoration--France--History--20th century
Presentation drawings
Porteneuve, Alfred