Pierre Charpin, clear lines

Converging geometric lines jump out from the MOM tote bag’s red fabric: “it’s a metaphorical representation of a trade fair, where people’s paths cross”, Charpin explains. Lines, arabesques, dots and clean-lined contours all feature on Pierre Charpin’s workshop walls, created with Indian ink, marker pen or lithography. There’s also a whole host of commonplace objects flaunting rudimentary lines, such as a basket, ladle and colander, all shining examples of understated everyday beauty. A handful of photos are scattered amongst these sources of inspiration, including one of his father, Marc Chapin, the sculptor, engraver and lithographer, who called this artist’s workshop in the Parisian suburb of Ivry home for a good many years. And then there are a number of tiny delicate tapestries woven by his mother, Carmen, a high-wrap tapestry artist.

The workshop, the building, the neighbourhood, the town, indeed the environment as a whole makes such a strong architectural statement that it can’t fail to influence Pierre Charpin’s work. Ivry is one of those new towns where militant and utopian architects, such as Jean Renaudie, introduced star-shaped buildings in the glorious thirties and redesigned the town centre with creative flair, steering clear of straight and perpendicular lines. “My parents were both artists and socialised with all these people who held very strong convictions, which was a kind of indirect form of education for me”. Marc Charpin also taught his son that being an artist means going to the workshop every day. “It takes more than just an idea to create a work of art. Being an artist is a job that must be done with passion and commitment. So you’ll find me here every day”. Artist? Designer? Or both? As a former student of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Bourges, and a visual artist before progressing to design, he still continues to sketch out everything by hand first. “When I was at art school, I thought design was just about engineering and didn’t see it as having an artistic side. It was only on discovering Italian design that my outlook changed, and I started to show an interest in the object, function and form.”

Pierre Charpin worked in Milan in the studio owned by George Sowden, who co-founded the Memphis group along with Ettore Sottsass. What he seems to have gleaned during his time there is a deep understanding of colour, learning to incorporate it at the outset whilst sketching his initial design. Pierre Charpin is currently putting the finishing touches to a comprehensive collection designed for the Cristallerie de Saint Louis, including glasses, decanters, bowls and bottles as well as lights. And in preparation for the spring, he’s putting together an extensive personal exhibition for his favourite gallery, the Kreo gallery in Paris, which produces limited edition runs of his precious designs.

“it’s a metaphorical representation of a trade fair, where people’s paths cross”