Mathieu Mategot

Born in Hungary in 1910, Mathieu Matégot studied at the School of Fine Arts in Budapest before moving to Paris in 1931. His early career was remarkably diverse, spanning set design for the Folies Bergère, window dressing, and fashion. During WWII, while held as a prisoner of war in Germany, he observed industrial metalworking techniques that would later define his artistic legacy.

In the 1950s, he pioneered and patented Rigitulle, a technique that combined metal tubing with perforated sheet metal. This allowed him to fold and mold metal into light, airy, lace-like forms that felt more like fabric than industrial material. His work from this "Golden Age" is characterized by organic shapes, three-legged structures, and the use of bold primary colors.

Among his most celebrated designs are the Nagasaki chair, the Copacabana armchair, and the Dedal bookshelf. These pieces became icons of French mid-century modernism, blending sculpture with functional utility. 

In an unexpected career shift in the early 1960s, he abandoned furniture design entirely to focus on abstract tapestry, eventually becoming a major figure in the modern tapestry movement before his death in 2001.