It was the Chartres Cathedral that forever changed the artistic vision of Max Ingrand. Born in Bressuire, the famous designer spent part of his youth in the French town, frequently admiring the stained glass windows of the Gothic-style church, a world heritage site.
In the windows he integrated his love for medieval art with a modern stylistic approach.
Ingrand then trained at the École des Beaux-arts and at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, where he studied with a great master glassmaker of the time, Jacques Grüber. In 1931 he opened his first studio where he experimented with every aspect of coloured glass. In those years he created the Art Deco decorations for the Normandy ocean liner, and what is now the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, at the time called Palais des Musées d'Art Moderne.
During the Second World War, as a prisoner in Germany, he met the future director of the large Saint-Gobain company, which focused on glass in the second half of the 20th century. During the post-war period, Ingrand worked on the reconstruction of many stained glass windows of damaged churches, where he integrated his love for medieval art with a modern stylistic approach.
The 1950s saw him star in the international design scene. Already famous as a decorator and master glassmaker, he became artistic director of Fontana Arte in 1954, one of the most important Italian companies in the world of lighting (and at the time, part of the Saint-Gobain group), where he remained for thirteen years. It was a rich period of collaborations (with Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, to name a few) and major projects. Of those years spent with Fontana Arte, a prodigious variety of lamps, appliqué, chandeliers, vases, ashtrays, candlesticks, glasses and tables remain.
Many of his projects have become real design classics, such as the Fontana table lamp, which is still in production today. In 1967, Ingrand founded his company Verre Lumière, which was among the first to produce halogen lamps. He continued, with passion and innovation, to design and produce lighting until the end of his life, which occurred in 1969.
Considered one of the greatest master glassmakers of 1900 thanks to his masterful skills, Max Ingrand is featured prominently in the 'Forme' catalogue, the next Wannenes auction dedicated to Design. Eleven lots of his design, including the top lot (a rare floor lamp in brass, ebonised walnut wood, brass casting, curved and ground satin glass, 1956), are in the catalogue.
Other highlights include precious pieces made by Franco Albini, Ettore Sottsass, Gino Sarfatti, Osvaldo Borsani, Piero Fornasetti, Gio Ponti, Gabriella Crespi and many others.