Charles Dudouyt - Sideboard - Wood

Sideboard / Credenza attributed to Charles Dudouyt, Art Deco, Oak, circa 1940 – France

Exquisite Art Deco furniture attributed to Charles Dudouyt (1885-1947), one of the finest French furniture makers of the first half of the 20th century. Simple structure, configured with two large doors on the sides, separated in the middle by four vertical panels with a melded front. The design is completed with a mirror with rounded corners.

This piece features doors adorned with an extraordinary design reminiscent of brutalism. Each door is formed through a kind of double molding, with a frieze carved in four stretches in the central area. In that zone appear the original golden-bronze handles. They command attention thanks to their circular shape. Inside there are two shelves, offering great storage capacity. The four drawers in the central area also feature a very original design, with impressive curves on their melded profile. The use of oak wood is a real success, given little varnish to let the beautiful grain show. This is well illustrated on the top, laid out like a checkerboard, achieved through the combination of grain directions. The entire piece rises on richly carved wooden legs, also with a brutalist appearance.

The piece exudes quality in every aspect of its conception and construction. It bears features typical of brutalist furniture, such as its sober silhouette and pronounced geometric shapes.

About the author

An important figure in early 20th-century design, Charles Dudouyt (1885-1947) helped move the aesthetics of French design from an elaborate classicism to a more modern sensibility. Born in 1885, Dudouyt began his artistic career after studying at the Germain Pilon School. He painted, drew, and earned a living illustrating publications, notably for Calmann-Levy and L’Assiette au Beurre. In 1918, after returning from the war, he designed and had manufactured street lamps, lamp shades, and various decorative objects with his wife. This led him, in 1920, in Pontoise, to establish a rustic-style furniture factory fashionable at the time: L’Abeillée.

He moved to Paris in 1933 and moved away from French classicism, adopting more refined contemporary forms. His style found parallels with the Arts and Crafts movement, characterized by an honest approach to simple materials like wood. The move of Dudouyt to Paris coincided with a larger-scale production; he shifted from making decorative objects to large ensembles of furniture including tables and chairs. Opting for a contemporary style, he founded Gentilhommière, which included a workshop and a shop. After his death, his son Jacques Dudouyt continued Gentilhommière’s activity until 1960.

Author: Attributed to Charles Dudouyt
Style: Art Deco
Materials: Oak wood
Period: 1940s
Country of origin: France
Provenance: Private French collection
Condition: Good for its age and use
Overall dimensions: 154 x 173 x 49 cm.
Mirror dimensions: 44 x 170 cm.

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