Max Ingrand (1908-1969) was a renowned glassmaker, designer and interior decorator, known for his innovative spirit and unmistakable creativity.
Education and beginnings
Born in 1908, he attended the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs
In 1927 he worked at the atelier of the famous glassmaker Jacques Gruber.
In Paris in 1931 he opened a studio with his first wife, Paule Rouquie, signing their works Paule and Max Ingrand.
One of their first works of great renown was the interior design of the salons of the ocean liner Normandie.
Soon their work in glassmaking was noticed by Gio Ponti, who dedicated an article to them in the magazine “Domus.”
Postwar
After the war, he divorced and remarried Marie Alberte Madre Rey, moving to Neuilly sur Seine.
From 1945, he became particularly interested in lighting, mirrors with thick crystal and tables with luminous tops, as well as decorative panels conceived as works of abstract art.
Artistic Director of Fontana Arte
In 1954, Gio Ponti chose him as the heir to Pietro Chiesa and appointed him artistic director of Fontana Arte, a position that proved to be very fruitful because of the marked improvements in production.
Working between Paris and Milan, Ingrand modified production choices, bringing them up to date with the new market needs, while maintaining the typological and qualitative qualities that had made the company famous.
Although few models explicitly bore his signature in the official catalogs, such as the sculpture lamp No. 2533 and the lamp with opaline glass base and shade No. 1853 (still in production), his imprint was evident in all the objects produced after his arrival.
Fontana Arte
Greatly increased the lighting sector with new avant-garde models, characterized by bold lines and novel solutions.
He made skillful use of crystal, often colored, combining it with metals such as brass and aluminum (sometimes lacquered), and gradually abandoning wood.
The mirrors were distinguished by thick crystal elements, sometimes cut like gems or with “torn” edges to enhance their reflective qualities.
Large “Dahlia” chandeliers with curved crystal elements and muted hues became a leitmotif of luxury furnishings in the 1950s and 1960s.
He was also in charge of Fontana Arte’s image, directing the renovation of the two stores in Milan (on Via Montenapoleone) and Rome in 1955.
Among his most notable interventions for Fontana Arte was the large luminous fountain erected in the garden of the Villa Reale in Monza for the International Furnishing Exhibition in 1961
Max Ingrand: activities and collaborations
Max Ingrand was president of the Société des artistes décorateurs.
His Paris studio grew to over fifty collaborators, working on church stained glass, interior architecture, theater, and industry.
He collaborated with the Saint Gobain factory, creating exhibition displays and advertising installations, and designed the reception hall of the new Saint Gobain headquarters in Neuilly in 1962.
In the 1960s, he turned to interior architecture, with such notable works as the RTF entrance hall, the Peugeot Palace in Paris, the swimming pool of the ocean liner France, and the fountains of the Rond Point on the Champs Elysées.
His collaborative relationship with Fontana Arte ended in 1967.
He continued his work with his Paris studio and founded the new company “Verre Lumière,” in partnership with Saint Gobain and the Mazda lamp factory.
Max Ingrand died in Neuilly on August 25, 1969.
The works of Max Ingrand
The entrance hall of RTF (Radio/Télévision Française).
Peugeot Palace
The Peugeot Palace on Avenue de la Grande Armée in Paris,
The ocean liners
The swimming pool of the ocean liner France and the Normandie furnishings
The fountains
The fountains of the Rond Point on the Champs Elysées.
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