Background
Born in 1888 into a family of engineers and industrialists, Michel Dufet initially pursued architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, despite an early passion for painting. His encounter with antique dealer Edmond Vasset led to the creation of Meubles Artistiques Modernes (MAM), a company dedicated to producing and exhibiting modern furniture and decorative objects. Throughout his career, Dufet combined artistic experimentation with industrial thinking, developing a vision of design closely tied to modern living and technological progress.
Signature Style
Michel Dufet’s work balances functionality, elegance, and innovation. Influenced by Cubism, he introduced bold colors and geometric simplicity into interiors while designing furniture adapted to contemporary lifestyles. He championed standardized and industrially produced furniture, imagining “system” designs that integrated mechanics and automation into everyday life. His interiors and furnishings combined practicality with refined aesthetics, ranging from utilitarian domestic objects to luxurious ensembles for prestigious ocean liners.
Showstoppers
Among Dufet’s most iconic creations is a celebrated Sandow chair, that was part of the futuristic motorized office furniture designed for the headquarters of La Tribune des Nations. At the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris, he unveiled a highly modern executive office conceived to organize documents, maps, books, and archives through integrated mechanical systems operated at the push of a button. As artistic director of Galerie Le Sylve, he promoted modern furniture between 1928 and 1938, gaining acclaim for his functional and industrial approach. He also designed luxurious interiors for legendary ocean liners such as the Normandie, the Île de France, and the Foch. Later in life, alongside his wife Rhodia Bourdelle, daughter of sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, he devoted himself to preserving and expanding the Bourdelle Museum.
