Japanese culture and craftsmanship have long inspired French design, which started incorporating the influence of Japanese applied arts with the opening of trade routes in the mid-19th century. First described by French art critic Philippe Burty in 1872, “Japonisme” extended from visual arts into architecture, industrial design, interiors, textiles, and decorative arts. By mid-century, Japan’s influence—rooted in nature and focused on balance, line, and natural materials like linen, wood, and rattan—manifested in French decor. French minimalist design, which emerged in the 1950s and early 1960s, featured a harmonious melding of form, function, and materials that rejected ornament in favor of simpler, more efficient concepts. Organized with Sri and Colin King, this exhibition celebrates both the French design of this era and the Japanese crafts that embody the ethos and sublime effects that influenced them.

Photography by Jonathan Tasker