Pierre Bonnefille for Leclaireur

The Bronze series of mural compositions and Metamorphosis range of furniture, both by Pierre Bonnefille, made for a striking entrance by Leclaireur at Design Days Dubai last week. Held from March 14 to 17, the sixth edition of the Middle East and South Asia’s first and only fair dedicated to collectable and limited-edition design has announced record-breaking attendance figures.

Recognised as a Maître d’Art – or Master of Art – by the French Ministry of Culture in 2010, Bonnefille’s series of Metamorphosis cabinets, consoles and tables with raw, clean edges, made from a diverse and opulent collection of materials, suited the occasion to a tee.

The corporeality of the furniture was enhanced by the textured Bronze murals, inspired by the transformation processes of materials such as fusions and crystallizations. The evanescent abstract patterns on the canvases are created by liquefied and frozen bronze, which the artist uses in powder form. Landscapes, aquatic reflections and silky traces emerge from the burnished surfaces.

Several of Bonnefille’s limited-edition Furoshiki Drawings were also displayed. Channelling the quintessential movements found in the traditional Japanese art of fabric wrapping, Bonnefille uses bronze and carbon pigments to capture three-dimensional millenary tradition in two dimensions.

Founded by Martine and Armand Hadida in 1980, Leclaireur emboldens frontline fashion and design by the likes of Arne Quinze, Ado Chale, Piet Hein Eek and Ben Storms. In addition to its five Paris stores, in September it opened a new space in Los Angeles.