Jean-Michel Frank was born in Paris in 1895 and became one of the most influential interior designers of the 20th century over the course of his career. His minimalist designs with straight lines, sleek shapes and exclusive materials became coveted among his clients from families such as Rockefeller, Guerlain and Hermès and continue to inspire subsequent generations of designers.
His family life was marked by tragedy. Frank lost his two older brother during World War I, his father committed suicide in 1919, and his mother died in a mental institution in 1928. He was also cousins with Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank, who was the sole survivor of the Frank family during the Holocaust.
The fortune Frank inherited enabled him to move around in international society in the 1920s, where he met personalities such as Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Diaghilev and style icon and socialite Eugenia Errázuriz. Under their influence, Jean-Michel Frank began his career as an interior designer and incorporated Errázuriz's minimalist aesthetic, which also inspired Coco Chanel, into his own design.
Related: Collecting Opera and Ballet in Art
In 1924 Frank was commissioned by Hermès to design a collection of furniture and décor, a collection that still continues to be produced. Frank worked with many artists throughout his career, including Salvador Dalí and Christian Bérard, and the Giacometti brothers, who designed decorative objects for his company.
Related: A $300 Chandelier Turns Out to Be a Giacometti Worth Millions
Frank worked together with the decorator and cabinet maker Adolphe Chaneaux to design interiors in Paris. He also taught at the Paris branch of the Parsons School of Design, founded in New York City.
Want to discover articles like this straight to your inbox? Then register today for our free newsletter!
The repertoire of Jean-Michel Frank's studio not only included furniture and decorative objects, but also the design of individual rooms or even entire apartments. In 1932, for example, he designed Jean-Pierre Guerlain's apartment in Paris and five years later he furnished Nelson Rockefeller's apartment on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Typical of Frank's style was the mixture of minimalism with neoclassical elements and exotic materials. "Elegance means elimination" was what Eugenia Errázuriz had taught him.
Related: Elsie De Wolfe: History's First Interior Designer
When World War II broke out, Jean-Michel Frank closed the doors of his Paris studio and moved to Buenos Aires to work with his longtime business partner, Ignacio Pirovano, founder of the furniture manufacturer and importer Comte. Frank became the company's artistic director and accepted further commissions from private individuals, with the furnishing of the Born House in Argentina being one of his most important projects.
Related: The Beauty of Villa Necchi Campiglio
Jean-Michel Frank committed suicide by an overdose in 1941 while staying in New York at the age of 46. He had battled with depression and addiction over the years. However, Jean-Michel Frank will not be forgotten as one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, whose creations fetch high prices on the auction market. The current record for a piece of furniture by Jean-Michel Frank was set in 2014 when a unique cabinet from around 1935 changed hands at Sotheby's for $5 million.