Praised as one of the greatest French designers of the 20th century for the sober and timeless elegance of his creations, Jean Royère becomes a designer at the age of 29 after abandoning a comfortable career in the import-export industry. Without prior training but endowed with a natural propensity towards furniture design, he sets himself apart from his contemporaries with an innovative style based on clean lines, sinuous waves and a range of organic forms that would later become the keystone of his work. After executing the interiors of the “Brasserie Carlton” on the Champs-Élysées in 1933, commissions start to flow in. His works will soon move onto the international stage, especially in the Middle East, where he will carry out many prestigious projects, notably the furnishing of Iran’s Shah’s palace in 1958. Among the emblematic pieces that lead him to global success are the «Egg» armchairs, the «Polar Bear» sofas and the «Liane» wall lamps. But his remarkable use of materials also extends to straw marquetry, a French tradition dating back to the 17th century, which he revives within the context of several major commissions in the early 1950s. Today, his sought-after pieces have joined the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.