The Legacy of Lalique
RENÉ LALIQUE
French, 1860–1945
René Lalique’s work has been universally hailed as representing the most chic and sophisticated qualities of French Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. All of Lalique's glass – bowls and vases, scent bottles, car hood ornaments, clocks and jewelry, sculptural and architectural decoration of every kind – were designed to the highest of artistic standards. When Lalique passed in 1945, he was viewed by many as one of the greatest figures in the history of decorative art.
Although Lalique began his career as a jeweler in the late-nineteenth century, he was entranced by the possibilities of glass. His creativity and flair for design began a career of creating unique and highly sought-after work. Lalique’s stylistic legacy influenced subsequent generations of designers and artists, including contemporary artists working in the medium of glass.
VIRTUAL TOUR WITH CURATOR, KATIE BUCKINGHAM
Join MOG’s own Katie Buckingham for a virtual tour of the Museum’s newest exhibition.
Glass for a New Century
The Innovative Designs of René Lalique
by Katie Buckingham, Curator
[Fig. 1] Perfume Bottle and Box, Flacon Parfum A for Lucien Lelong. Designed 1929.
French designer René Lalique (1860-1945) was inspired by the industrial and artistic possibilities of glass and dedicated more than six decades to creating art for a modern world.
His artwork embraced the new ideas and technologies which swept the United States and Europe during the Roaring Twenties. These innovative new avenues for the material brought appreciation for glass to new heights and resulted in some of Lalique’s most iconic designs.
[Fig. 2] Automobile Radiator Cap, Cinq Chevaux (Five Horses). Designed 1925.
THE NEED FOR SPEED
Lalique’s career in glass peaked in the 1920s, coinciding with the economic boom in the United States and Europe following World War I which became known as the Roaring Twenties. During this exuberant decade, industrial and economic innovations flourished as a new thriving middle class acted on the impulse to purchase the latest and greatest. Automobiles were all the rage, having come a long way in speed and style from the Ford Model T, which debuted in 1908. Lalique designed unique radiator caps which allowed car owners to embellish these new-found symbols of wealth. Many of these sculptures highlighted the automobiles streamlined speed, with an emphasis on geometric lines that became synonymous with the Art Deco movement. In 1925, he collaborated with the French car manufacturer Citroën to produce a radiator cap for its popular Type C automobile. Titled Cinq Cheveau (Five Horses) [Fig. 2], it embodies the car’s 5 CV engine, a tribute to a new measurement of speed, the horsepower.
[Fig. 4] Electric Clock, Le Jour et La Nuit (Day and Night). Designed 1926.
IT’S ELECTRIC!
The widespread availability of electricity opened many additional avenues for Lalique’s design. As electrical products became more prominent in the homes of the middle and upper class, Lalique debuted an abundance of clocks and lighting fixtures. Clocks such as Le Jour et La Nuit (Day and Night) Electric Clock [Fig. 4], and lamps like Deux Paons (Two Peacocks) Night Light [Fig. 5], were not just functional objects, but statement pieces, which adapted Lalique’s iconic Art Deco style into a new format. Each showcased Lalique’s inexhaustible design inspiration, which included everything from the human figure, to birds and reptiles, to the abstract shape of the wind; each adaptable to the new consumer goods of modern life.
[Fig. 3] Perfume Bottle and Box, Cigalia for Roger & Gallet. Designed 1910.
SENSUOUS SCENTSS
One of the largest influences on Lalique’s success in the 1920s was a new customer: the modern woman. As the women’s suffrage movement swept the United States and Europe, women championed a new vision of femininity. They flaunted their new independence through a host of stylish and sophisticated goods, including decorative cigarette cases, ashtrays, perfume bottles, and boudoir sets. Lalique was a designer at the forefront of this movement. Beginning with a partnership with French perfumier François Coty (French, 1874-1934), Lalique created designs for bottles and packaging that captured the character of each perfume. This new “complete package” resulted in pieces that were in themselves mini-sculptures inspired by everything from the wings of a dragonfly [Fig. 3], to the geometric lines of 1920s architecture [Fig. 1]. The venture was an incredible success, creating a heightened sense of luxury for a modern, feminine consumer.
[Fig. 5] Night Light, Deux Paons (Two Peacocks). Designed 1920.
When Lalique passed away in 1945, he was viewed by many as one of the greatest figures in the history of decorative art. MOG is delighted to share his remarkable career through one of the largest collections of Lalique glass in the country, the Shulman Collection, which was offered as a promised gift to Museum of Glass in 2017. Lalique’s legacy has influenced subsequent generations of designers and artists, and the Museum is elated to have the collection to tell the story of how production glass influenced Studio and Contemporary glass artists. Highlights from the collection will be on view in the exhibition René Lalique: Art Deco Gems from the Steven and Roslyn Shulman Collection opening May 23, 2020.
EXHIBITION SNEAK PEEK
René Lalique: Art Deco Gems from the Steven and Roslyn Shulman Collection will be displayed adjacent to examples of contemporary artists who are influenced by Lalique’s work. One of the pieces, by French artist Matheiu Grodet, was started in MOG’s Hot Shop. In January 2018, Grodet was a Visiting Artist at the Museum and spent the week creating glass canvases for his intricate enamel paintings. Grodet studied in Orleans, France, at the Visual Art Institute of Orleans and draws inspiration from his French heritage, including the legacy of designers like Lalique. He was challenged to select a piece of Lalique’s work from the Shulman Collection to use as inspiration for a piece to be displayed at MOG. He was struck by the movement and rhythm of Ondines [Fig. 6], which inspired the composition of this sketch below. Be sure to visit the Museum in May to see the finished piece!
[Fig. 6] Bowl, Ondines (Sprites). Designed 1921.
Matheiu Grodet's in-progress work inspired by the by Lalique's Bowl, Ondines (Sprites) (left).
*This was printed in the January – June 2020 issue of fuse, Museum of Glass Members’ Magazine
Image Credits:
René Lalique (French, 1860-1945). Perfume Bottle and Box, Flacon Parfum A for Lucien Lelong. Designed 1929. Mold-blown glass and mold-pressed glass, acid-etched, with enamel and enameled metal case; 4 3/4 × 4 5/8 × 2 1/8 in. Promised gift of Steven and Roslyn Shulman. Photo by Duncan Price.
René Lalique (French, 1860-1945). Automobile Radiator Cap, Cinq Chevaux (Five Horses). Designed 1925. Mold-pressed glass; 5 7/8 × 5 11/16 × 2 1/16 in. Promised gift of Steven and Roslyn Shulman. Photo by Duncan Price.
René Lalique (French, 1860-1945). Perfume Bottle and Box, Cigalia for Roger & Gallet. Designed 1910. Mold-blown glass and wooden box; bottle height: 3 9/16 in. Promised gift of Steven and Roslyn Shulman. Photo by Duncan Price.
René Lalique (French, 1860-1945). Electric Clock, Le Jour et La Nuit (Day and Night). Designed 1926. Mold-blown and mold-pressed glass; metal base and electronic fittings; 14 5/8 × 12 1/2 × 3 7/8 in. Promised gift of Steven and Roslyn Shulman. Photo by Duncan Price.
René Lalique (French, 1860-1945). Night Light, Deux Paons (Two Peacocks). Designed 1920. Mold-blown and mold-pressed glass, Bakelite base; 18 x 13 x 7 in. Promised gift of Steven and Roslyn Shulman. Photo by Duncan Price.
René Lalique (French, 1860-1945). Bowl, Ondines (Sprites). Designed 1921. Mold-pressed glass; 3 × 8 1/4 in. Promised gift of Steven and Roslyn Shulman. Photo by Duncan Price.
Matheiu Grodet work in progress. Photo courtesy of the artist.