Serge Mouille

Serge Mouille was born in Paris in 1922, and at the age of thirteen he entered the École des Arts Appliqués on the rue Dupetit-Thouars, specialising in metalwork and obtaining a diploma in goldsmithing. After working in Gabriel Lacroix's workshop, he set up his own business in 1945, with the intention of creating tableware. In 1953, Serge MOUILLE began his research into metal forms and the artisanal manufacture of lighting, while at the same time directing the goldsmith's workshop at the École des arts appliqués. In 1955, he was elected to the Société des Artistes Décorateurs (SAD). The following year, Steph Simon opened a design gallery at 145 Boulevard Saint Germain. Under the influence of Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé, the gallery welcomed the work of Serge Mouille, as well as that of Isamu Noguchi and Jean Luce. The Sinma company, run by Jacques and Jeanne Veyrat-Masson, also distributed his creations, and he received special orders for the refectories and green spaces of the Cité Universitaire d'Antony, the universities of Strasbourg and Aix-Marseille, the Brétigny-sur-Orge flight test centre, and the lights on the transatlantic liner “France”. In 1961, thanks to the Société de création des modèles (SCM), he was able to exhibit a new collection of luminaires combining fluorescence and incandescence at the Salon des arts ménagers. Serge Mouille remains famous for his lighting fixtures with their simple shapes and uniformly black painted metal. His wall-mounted reflectors, hinged on pivoting arms of various spans, illustrate the space with a discreet but highly functional presence.