Inox-Industrie Furniture

French artist Xavier Feal designed this beautiful stainless steel dynamic modernist artwork, often known as the candle tree, for Inox Industries circa 1970. The brutalist design features a streamlined shape that fully rotates, giving this sculpture a varied appearance. This kinetic sculpture is very decorative with a glossy polished metal finish and is a real conversation piece. There is no visible signature. The sculpture is in excellent condition, with limited wear on the metal. Measurements: When the piece is flat: 8.69 in wide (22 cm) x 2.94 in deep (7.5 cm) x 11.44 in high (29 cm). When the piece is in 3D: 9.07 in diameter (23 cm) x 11.44 in high (29 cm). Note: Xavier Féal Under the alias Xavier Feal, this young graduate from the Ecole Boulle and the Arts Décoratifs in Paris would create a collection of stainless steel furniture for the manufacturer Inox Industrie. This product was available for purchase from 1969 to 1974 and composed of seating, tables and coffee tables, lighting, shelving elements, and decorative objects such as desk and chimney accessories and candlesticks. Unbreakable, rot-proof, and unchanging, stainless steel was Féal’s first choice of material. It was created in 1913 but did not appear in the French decorative arts until the early 1960s. Thus, by incarnating the “Parisian chic” and a form of avant-garde, stainless steel was used by some of the most well-known designers of the time, such as Joseph-André Motte, Michel Boyer, and Maria Pergay. Many renowned companies such as Uginox, Kappa, and Inox Industrie contributed to popularise stainless steel. It is the latter that manufactured Xavier Féal’s designs. Féal’s training as an interior architect opened the doors to some important projects. International, as well as in France, the projects included hotel planning, embassies, and private apartments. The Xavier Féal collection, with its radical designs, was realized in a small series and directed towards an enlightened clientele. In his designs, the steel is folded into curves or projecting edges. He plays with light by using brushed or high-polished finishes. Although his designs perfectly incarnate the style of the 1970s, his creations conserve their modernity even today. From 1975, Xavier Féal slowly abandoned the universe of furniture. He began, under his real name, voluntarily undisclosed, a brilliant career in industrial design. He worked in various fields, one of which was precision engineering. Even though his period of production in the decorative arts was brief, he made an undoubtful and lasting impact on the field in France. (Credit: Galerie Meubles et Lumiéres)