Polar Bear (furniture)
The Polar Bear (in the original French Ours Polaire) is a
The name given to the piece is due to the comparison with a polar bear's fur due to its white fuzzy velvet upholstering.[1]
Design
A 2019 article in Town and Country magazine described the design of the sofa as "Elegantly rounded and incomparably cushy" and made from a "soft woolen velvet reminiscent of plush toy fabric". The magazine attributed the pieces success to Royère's ability to make "the minimalist pieces look almost structure-less, entirely covering the skeletons—created using traditional wood-bending techniques—in layers of synthetic foam". The Parisian dealer Patrick Seguin described the pieces as "emblematic of Royère’s spirit of absolutely free creativity and reflect a true elegance without any kind of ostentation".[2]
History
The sofa arose out of biomorphic designs that Royère created for furniture for his mother's apartment on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. The Polar Bear sofa was initially met with limited success, but became increasingly popular in the 1950s.[2] It was first shown in public at the Art et Industrie exhibition "La Résidence Française".[1]
In recent years the pieces have risen in popularity and individual sofas now sell for more than $500,000. In 2016 the action record for Polar Bear sofa was set when one sold for $754,000 at
After the pieces' unveiling, the
Prominent owners include the actress Jennifer Aniston, the comedian Ellen DeGeneres, and the art dealer Larry Gagosian. The musician Kanye West described his Polar Bear sofa as "my favorite piece of furniture we own". West sold his Maybach car in order to purchase the sofa.[3][2][4]
References
- ^ a b c Hannah Martin (14 July 2017). "The Story Behind Jean Royère's Iconic Design". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d Stephen Wallis (15 April 2019). "This Polar Bear Sofa Is Beloved By the Very Rich". Town and Country Magazine. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ Mayer Russ (3 April 2020). "Step Inside Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West's Boundary-Defying Home". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ Stephen Wallis (23 April 2014). "The Unsettling Thing About Ellen". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 February 2020.