New York exhibition celebrates Maria Pergay, the ‘pioneer’ of metal furniture

For more than 50 years, the French designer Maria Pergay created playful yet elegant furniture that pushed the boundaries of style and convention. Now, one year after her death at the age of 93, New York gallery Demisch Danant is staging an exhibition celebrating her work: ‘Precious Strength: Maria Pergay Across the Decades’ (24 October to 30 November 2024).

‘Precious Strength: Maria Pergay Across the Decades’

Stainless steel furniture may have captivated the contemporary design world recently, but in many ways, Pergay is to thank: she was pioneering such pieces in the 1960s, long before metal became a top choice for experimental furniture designers. At the time, stainless steel was considered a wholly unusual, and even unsuitable, material for high-end interiors, associated far more with industrial applications and practical kitchenware. But Pergay turned to the affordable, resilient, silvery material to craft surprising works of furniture.

Her ‘Flying Carpet Daybed’ from 1968 uses steel as a rippling, minimalist base, its coldness and hardness contrasted with the curved fabric cushioning on top. ‘Ring Chair’, also from 1968, harnesses raw stainless steel alone in concentric bands held aloft by curved bars: a challenge to norms of prevailing comfort while simultaneously speaking to the geometric style of the day. In these and other similar works, Pergay drew from the silhouettes of modernism while pushing materiality in new directions – setting the stage for a transformed idea of modern luxury.

Beyond presenting a survey of her innovative furniture – which Pergay continued to produce into her eighties – ‘Precious Strength’ is conceived as an immersive experience, featuring a series of interior vignettes designed by gallery co-founders Suzanne Demisch and Stéphane Danant that recreate Pergay's aesthetic over the decades. The show features approximately 35 works, alongside personal objects, archival imagery and original sketches.

Demisch and Danant had a close working relationship with Pergay for many years, after discovering her pieces in the late 1990s. ‘Stéphane and I first came across Maria’s work in a Paris flea market, long before we started our gallery,’ says Demisch. ‘We immediately felt there was something special about her designs.’ Noticing a lack of information about Pergay, the duo believed she deserved wider recognition and tracked her down to a home in Morocco to start a decades-long collaboration. They remain her greatest champions.

‘She was a true pioneer,’ says Demisch. ‘Maria did not pay attention to trends and was constantly pushing the limits of her practice.’ Danant concurs: ‘She redefined what furniture could be, blending functionality with experimentation and sculptural beauty. There was a level of sophistication she introduced that challenged conventional ideas of design.’

Pergay continued to innovate throughout her career, blazing a trail in a male-dominated field. She often integrated mother of pearl, lacquer, and precious woods into her stainless steel pieces, creating an aesthetic that was both industrial and seductive, and delightfully playful. In ‘Drape Cabinet B’, 2005, a sheet of undulating raw steel peels back from a layer of striped macassar ebony, bearing an oversized safety pin. Meanwhile, ‘Ribbon Pouf’, 2007, appears as a giant bow in stainless steel: silly yet sophisticated, alluring yet sharp, the piece recalls a pop art sensibility while still feeling ultra-contemporary.

Without formal design training, Pergay eschewed the siloed conceptions of designer, artist and decorator, instead being led by her own vision. ‘She saw herself as a “captor of ideas”, always following her creative instincts,’ says Danant. ‘More than anything, she wanted people to engage with her work on a deeper level, beyond categories, and to appreciate the originality and boldness behind each piece.’ The gallerists hope the new exhibition achieves just that.

‘Precious Strength: Maria Pergay Across the Decades’, 24 October to 30 November 2024, Demisch Danant, New York, demischdanant.com