Audoux Minet Rope Helm Mirror

Audoux Minet nautical theme rope mirror in the form of a boats steering wheel.. Circa 1960, France

Adrien Audoux and Frida Minet, were a French-Swiss couple who created playful and unique decor and furniture during the mid-20th century. They adopted a rustic style in their work, integrating abaca hemp cord and other organic materials such as beech and bamboo in their provocative designs.

Audoux and Minet were active in Côte d'Azur, France and are believed to have established a workshop there in the late 1920s. The designers were members of the Union des Artistes Modernes, a collective of like-minded artists founded in 1929. They promoted simplicity and prioritised functionalism. The collective’s membership boasted other celebrated furniture designers, including Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, Francis Jourdain and Louis Sognot.

Minet and Audoux spent much of their time in the Provence region, a centre of creativity where other artists such as Pablo Picasso found endless inspiration. They created everything from lighting to lounge chairs and end tables that reflected a nautical theme and coastal living. Minet and Audoux’s had retail outlet in the seaside resort town of Golfe-Juan. The pair also incorporated woven rope into larger pieces such as armchairs and side tables. A number of Audoux-Minet’s seating pieces are on display at the Maison Dumas in St. Tropez, France.