Christian Liaigre for Holly Hunt Augustin Sectional Sofa, Cream, France, 2016.
Christian Liaigre for Holly Hunt Augustin Sectional Sofa, Cream, France, 2016.
Christian Liaigre for Holly Hunt Augustin Sectional Sofa, Cream, France, 2016. (Left-arm facing sectional sofa) Iconic design from the master of Modern Minimalism Christian Liaigre (1943-2020).
Christian Liaigre was born in the Vendée region of France where he grew up on his parent’s farm. Christian’s parents bred horses, a detail that has had a substantial influence in his work which has been described as having “strong equestrian flavor.” As a young man he attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied painting. By the early 60’s he returned to Vendée where he worked on his parent’s farm – perhaps re-opening his eyes to the beauty of country living. In the early 1970’s, Liaigre returned to Paris where he worked as a design director at Nobilis Fontan. Eventually, he left Nobilis, as they wouldn’t allow him to show his own furniture. The joke was on them when he opened his own Parisian design studio in the late 80’s.
In 1985, he opened his first store, and he designed the Hôtel Montalembert in 1990. In 1997, he designed The Mercer Hotel in New York City. His clients included Larry Gagosian, Marina Abramović, Bryan Adams, Calvin Klein, Rupert Murdoch, and Carole Bouquet. The Wall Street Journal described Liaigre as a "great minimalist".
The American designer Holly Hunt first introduced Liaigre's work to the US, and he designed the Christian Liaigre for Holly Hunt Collection from 1994-2011 with his works produced in France and sold as “Christian Liaigre at Holly Hunt” until 2017. Liaigre passed away on 2 September 2020 at the age of 77.