Gilbert Poillerat (1902 – 1988) Gilbert Poillerat graduated from the École Boulle in 1921 and spent eight years working with Edgar Brandt. After devoting himself to chasing and painting, he quickly became one of France’s leading wrought-iron craftsmen. He then created a sector devoted to wrought ironwork within the Baudet, Donon et Roussel metal construction workshop. From his earliest furniture pieces, ornament played a key role. Towards the end of the 1930s, his repertoire became more baroque. After the war, a neoclassical trend began to emerge with commissions from the Mobilier National. Appointed professor at the École nationale des arts décoratifs in 1946, he left Baudet, Donon et Roussel to set up on his own. Numerous projects with André Arbus, Jacques Adnet, Jean Pascaud and Jean Royère made him a key figure in twentieth-century decorative arts. His career, which spans the late Art Deco period to the beginnings of design, is characterized by one-off pieces or very small series. Yet the quality of his work continues to inspire today’s designers.