1984: Agnès Kentish, seated on a Garouste & Bonetti pouf, surrounded by two Orque chairs by Jean Philippe Gleizes
Agnès Kentish
Beginnings of the design gallery
From the age of 20, Agnès Kentish has been collecting art furniture. First from the 30s, then from the 40s.
Then, in the early 80s, she joined forces with Frédéric de Luca to create a design gallery. From the outset, “En Attendant les Barbares” made a striking entrance.
Initially, the gallery published two unknowns, Garouste and Bonetti. The originality of their sources of inspiration quickly earned them the triple status of designers, decorators and artists. Then, other designers join the gallery: Eric Schmitt, Jean Philippe Gleizes and Olivier Gagnère.
Little by little, the “barbarian style” became established. Its hallmark is the use of arts and crafts, and the evocation of multiple aesthetic and historical references, often in iconoclastic fashion. Editions are limited series or made-to-measure.
The recognition
Furthermore, illustrious collectors, such as Karl Lagerfeld , Pedro Almodovar and Jean Paul Gauthier, adopted this new design gallery.
Little by little, the barbarian style made their mark. Several museums in Paris, London, New York and Tokyo exhibit them.
Following the French Decorative Arts, as a sequel to Jean Royère or Jean Michel Frank, En Attendant les Barbares reintroduces the notion of exceptional furniture.
A new path
In 1995, Frédéric de Luca decided to devote himself to painting.
Agnès Kentish’s eclecticism is reflected in the new designers who join the gallery: Andrée Putman, Mathilde Brétillot, Christian Ghion, Eric Jourdan, Arik Lévy, Eric Robin.
Highly skilled craftsmen include Pierre Basse, Diego Giacometti’s ironworker, who works exclusively for the gallery. The bronzier is the Bocquel foundry, bronzier to Lalanne and César.
Four decades ago, En Attendant les Barbares laid the foundations for collectible design, the design of the 21st century. Therefore giving designers the opportunity to work with top-quality craftsmen.
The Book
En Attendant Les Barbares
The gallery’s journey is recounted in Anne Bony’s book, published by Editions du Regard: “Quatre Décennies de Design.”
The Anne Bony book goes beyond a simple account of this aesthetic adventure. Its artistic direction pays tribute to Alexey Brodovitch and Irving Penn. With an unexpected format, and a sophisticated graphic design, this work is more than a book about design. It is an art book.
Anne Bony has collaborated with Editions du Regard since 1980. She curates a renowned collection of art books dedicated to 20th-century design: The 1910s, the 1920s, the 1930s, the 1940s, the 1950s, the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s.