London – Jean Prouvé's '6 x 9' demountable house was the top lot at Bonhams Design sale today (12 October) at New Bond Street, London, selling for £325,250 against an estimate of £220,000 - 280,000.

The sale made a total of £679,542 with 64% sold by lot and 86% sold by value.

Marcus McDonald, UK Director, Modern Decorative Art + Design, commented: "I'm thrilled with the result of today's sale and the wonderful success Prouvé demountable house. It merges the best of design – functional whilst also being stylish, pioneering and holding a timeless quality. It is also great to see a piece by Charlotte Perriand, with whom Prouvé collaborated on a number of occasions, similarly achieving such a brilliant result. There was also a fantastic price achieved for the pair of Georges Jouve lights, which sold for four times the pre-sale estimate."

Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) played a pivotal role in the development of cutting-edge technology and modular systems for mass production in the post-war modernist period. He designed his demountable houses in response to an order by the French Ministry of Reconstruction and Town Planning in 1944, as temporary houses for those rendered homeless by the war. Fine-tuning his prefabricated patented axial portal frame – and with standardised metal fixtures, and wood panelling components – Prouvé produced an economical and adaptable solution that could be constructed within one day and easily be demounted and reassembled elsewhere as needed. Though 800 were commissioned, only 400 were ever produced, with many now in museum collections.

Other highlights of the sale included:

• A Charlotte Perriand, Large 'Tokyo' bench, commissioned by Architect Henri-Pierre Maillard, France, circa 1956. Sold for £31,500.

• A pair of Georges Jouve wall lights, from the principal residence of Georges Jouve's estate, Marronniers estate, Pigonnet, Aix-en-Provence, 1960s. Sold for £25,250.

• Pierre Dunand, 'The Rocks' unique folding screen, circa 1945. Sold for £19,000.

• Paul Dupré–Lafon, Valet, 1930s. Formally owned by Jean Chevalier, the first director of photography at Elle magazine in Paris in 1945. Sold for £7,650.

12 October 2021