Martin Szekely (b. 1956) French

Martin Szekely (born in 1956 in Paris) is one of the most influential French designers of his generation. The son of ceramicist Vera Székely and sculptor Pierre Székely, he grew up in an environment where artistic creation played a central role. Trained at the Écoles Estienne and Boulle, he began his career as an engraver before turning to furniture design, developing from an early stage a personal approach in which construction takes precedence over drawing.

His recognition began with the Pi Collection (1982–1985), created following a carte blanche from VIA. This series, whose iconic Pi chaise longue has become emblematic, marked the emergence of a radical vocabulary in which each form results from a geometric and constructive logic rather than a decorative pursuit. The Containers, Pour faire salon, and Initiales collections, produced by the Néotù gallery, quickly established Martin Szekely as one of the leading figures in French design of the 1980s.

From the mid-1990s onwards, his practice underwent a decisive evolution. By formulating the principle of “Ne plus dessiner” (“No longer drawing”), Martin Szekely abandoned the idea of preliminary drawing as the starting point of a project. The object should no longer be an expression of personal style, but should instead result directly from the properties of the material, industrial processes, and manufacturing constraints. This approach led to a design of extreme precision, in which every detail appears as the logical consequence of a constructive system.

Alongside his limited editions for collectors, Martin Szekely has maintained an important industrial design practice. He has collaborated with Hermès, Perrier, Christofle, Saint-Louis, Legrand, JCDecaux, EDF, Dom Pérignon, Tectona, and the Louvre Museum, among others. This dual practice has informed an ongoing reflection on the relationship between industrial production, craftsmanship, and collectible design.

His creations are now held in the collections of the Centre Pompidou, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, MoMA, the Cooper Hewitt Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and MUDAM Luxembourg, among others. In 2011, the Centre Pompidou devoted a major exhibition to his work, Ne plus dessiner, confirming the essential place he occupies in the history of contemporary design.

Galerie Ketabi Bourdet focuses particularly on Martin Szekely’s historical creations, notably editions produced by the Néotù gallery and prototypes from the 1980s and 1990s. Through this selection, the gallery highlights a formative period in his practice, now particularly sought after by international collectors.