Rene Lalique
Rene Lalique’s was born in 1860 and his interest in designing was apparent from childhood. This interest led him to Sydenham School of Art in London when he was 18. Upon graduation he took a two year apprenticeship with Louis Aucoc who had built quite a name for himself. He returned to Paris in 1880 and started working for himself in 1881. He started by selling his designs to workshops and retailers including Vever, Boucheron and Destape. In 1886 he was offered the opportunity to buy Destape’s business and he did thus making him the boss of his own workshop. He met the actress Sarah Bernhardt and he created for her stage performances as well as personal pieces. Lalique’s first depiction of a female nude came in 1894 and it caused controversy. Then in 1895, an introduction to the collector Calouste Gulbenkian led to the most significant commission of Lalique’s career. Calouste requested 145 pieces of any design in which Lalique saw fit and it took over 15 years to complete and this collection. In 1900 he exhibited in the Exposition Universelle in Paris. In 1905 he opened a store in Place Vendôme. Collaboration with the perfumer Coty soon followed as Lalique began to focus on labels and glass. Lalique showed jewelry for the last time in 1912 at the exhibition in the Place Vendôme store. He decided to dedicate the remainder of his career to designing glass. He passed away in 1945, leaving the company in the hands of his son Marc.
