Little known to the general public, this multi-talented artist, who notably worked alongside director and stage director Patrice Chéreau, has his career presented at the Mobilier national for the duration of an exhibition.

Initially immersed in the world of painting, Richard Peduzzi became a set designer for Patrice Chéreau in the late 1960s. This collaboration lasted until the filmmaker's death in 2013. In the interim, he also designed sets for exhibitions and museum spaces. Simultaneously, he lent his talents to interior design projects as well as a line of furniture and rugs. In short, as you will have gathered, Richard Peduzzi is more than just a theater and opera set designer: he is a multidisciplinary artist – an overused term in recent years, but one that is entirely justified in his case. The Mobilier National (National Furniture Collection) is showcasing this rich career through some one hundred paintings and drawings, sketches and models of theater and opera sets, as well as furniture pieces such as lighting fixtures, rugs, and other objects.

The exhibition also evokes the birth of Peduzzi's artistic vocation, following in the footsteps of an often-absent father who, like him, saw painting as a calling, without fully embracing it. He grew up in the aftermath of the Second World War, amidst the ruins between Le Havre and Verneuil-sur-Avre, and was deeply influenced by the port aesthetic of containers and shipyards. But his drawing and painting practice did not bring him satisfaction. He found fulfillment in creating theater sets, where he could combine painting and architecture, allowing him, in his words, to "construct his painting." To the industrial world, he added the light of the Flemish Primitive painters, or even Renaissance architecture. Among the plays and operas staged by Chéreau in which Peduzzi worked are great successes such as the Ring Cycle for the Centenary of the Bayreuth Festival in 1976 or Hamlet in Avignon in 1988.

But the theater isn't the only thing that plays a role in Richard Peduzzi's life. The Mobilier National (National Furniture Collection) is keen to showcase iconic pieces from its design repertoire, such as the rocking chair and the pyramid table. This exercise in furniture design is in no way separate from his work for the stage, constituting "the same enigma as the research and invention of an entire architecture." As he explains: "Sometimes, in the lines, perspectives, and forms of a piece of furniture, new architectures emerge. Conversely, in certain architectural designs, I find the outline of a table, a secretary, or a display case."
An exhibition not to be missed under any circumstances for anyone who loves to immerse themselves in the richness of decorative arts.

“RICHARD PEDUZZI. PERSPECTIVE. FURNITURE, DECORATIONS, DRAWINGS”
National Furniture Collection – Gobelins Gallery
42, AVENUE DES GOBELINS, PARIS 13TH
UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 2024
MOBILIERNATIONAL.CULTURE.GOUV.FR