Jacques Adnet Vichy Desk

a modernist desk of black painted tubular steel with a black plywood top, a lamp with a white shade curving up from the rear leg, and a drawer and paper holder trimmed in mahogany leather, made by jacques adnet in 1940, during the german occupation of france, and selling at christies in march 2026
Jacques Adnet, desk with integrated lamp, c. 1940, painted steel, plywood, leather, parchment, selling at Christie’s 5 March 2026

As I was quietly thanking Jacques Adnet for this sleek, spare, and elegant desk, it did occur to me that 1940 was a helluva year to be designing modernist steel furniture in Paris. Let’s unpack that a bit!

Lot 44, 05 Mar 2026, Jacques Adnet, desk, est USD 10-15,000 [christies]