Menu
Jacques Quinet was born in 1918 in Lisieux, in France.
After completing his secondary studies with the Jesuits, he entered an architecture school in Caen. When the war broke out in 1939, he was mobilized in the air force; frequently traveling between Caen and Paris, he took the opportunity to transport documents for the Resistance.
In 1941, he was employed at Antoine Charpentier's architecture firm in Paris, after which he opened his first decoration office, surrounding himself with contemporary artists. He received his first significant commission for furnishing the offices of the Kréma company.
In 1942, he met Claude Legendre, who would greatly contribute to the launch of his career and later become his wife. In 1944, he met François Sébesta, one of the most renowned cabinetmakers of Faubourg Saint-Antoine, who would manufacture his furniture. Through him, he was initiated into the techniques of cabinetmaking.
In the 1940s, Jacques Quinet created paintings, sculptures, and tapestries. From 1946, he dedicated himself entirely to interior architecture and developed his own style characterized by rigor, elegance, and sobriety, adapted to new materials and evolving furniture manufacturing techniques. Quinet remained faithful to these aesthetic criteria throughout his career. That same year, he opened his interior architecture and decoration office on Rue Fortuny in Paris, where he worked and showcased his creations until the mid-1980s.
From 1947, he participated in Art and Industry exhibitions, the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, and international events.
Quinet furnished numerous private clients' homes in France, America, and Iran, and worked for the Société des Eaux d’Évian, the Ministry of Culture, Air France, and SNCF. He designed the interiors of several ocean liners, including “La Bourdonnais" in 1952, " Pasteur" in 1966, and contributed to the design of “France” in 1961.
His favorite materials were lacquer, wood, bronze, and leather. He particularly favored light woods such as cherry wood, sycamore maple, or Cuban mahogany, as well as precious looking lacquered wood. His furniture was always of high quality with harmonious volumes and bronze ornaments in the classical tradition.
In 1957, through Robert Pinchon, Jacques Quinet designed his first metal-framed furniture covered with saddle-stitched leather or skai. He also created some pieces of furniture in metal and bronze, including coffee tables or lamps.
He passed away in 1992.
