Design 
24 October 2024
Design 
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Jules Leleu

Desk

France, c. 1946
rosewood, suede upholstery, chrome-plated brass desk: 29¾ h × 72 w × 40 d in (76 × 183 × 102 cm) chair: 32 h × 23¾ w × 24 d in (81 × 60 × 61 cm)
estimate: $10,000–15,000
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Sold with an Art Deco chair by an unknown maker.
provenance: Sotheby's, New York, 20th Century Design, 6 March 2013, Lot 129 | Private Collection
literature: Jules et André Leleu, Jutheau, pg. 101 illustrates similar design

This work will ship from Chicago, Illinois.

This item is subject to CITES regulations. Rago Wright LLC. cannot provide the required documentation needed for export out of the United States; therefore, this item is only eligible for domestic shipping.
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Jules Leleu

French Art Deco Designer

Born in 1883 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, a suburb of Paris, Jules Leleu would become a renowned French Art Deco furniture and lighting designer. He achieved fame by skillfully blending modernism with classical elements in his designs. In particular, he was celebrated for his use of simplified shapes, exotic woods, marquetry, and ivory inlays. After studying decorative painting, Leleu took over his father's painting business with his brother, Marcel, at the age of twenty-six. Leleu served in the air force during World War I and later returned to open Maison Leleu, a gallery where he dedicated himself to furniture craftsmanship.

In 1925, Leleu gained significant recognition by winning the grand prize at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels. His reputation continued to grow and he undertook notable projects such as designing ocean liners like the S.S. Ile de France and S.S. Normandie, as well as creating furnishings for various French embassies worldwide and the Grand Salon of the Ambassadors at the Society of Nations in Geneva. Following his passing in Paris in 1961, Leleu's children André, Jean, and Paule assumed control of the family business.

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