Over the course of his career, French artist and designer Louis Cane has shunned any hints of disciplinary limitation, alternately painting, sculpting, creating furniture, and participating in the theoretical discourses of his era with verve. Cane studied at the School of Decorative Arts in Nice as well as the Superior School of Decorative Arts in Paris, and was a founding member of the Supports/Surfaces group that emerged in the wake of France's May 1968 upheaval. Along with compatriots Marc Devade, Daniel Dezeuze, and Vincent Bioulés, Cane co-founded and edited the Peinture, Cahiers Théoriques journal dedicated to reimagining the scope of painting beyond historical precedent.
"I have no interest in following the trends of contemporary design," Cane has said, "My pieces tend to be much more classic."
Defined by radicalism as his early days may have been, it's possible that Cane's most radical trait is his ready willingness to shift gears. As he told the Wall Street Journal, "Though I'm still a member of the Supports/Surfaces movement, I've gone beyond that phase of attacking art. I've become more interested in more difficult challenges, like reinterpreting the masters."
Cane's reconsideration of tradition is abundantly apparent in his works of furniture, which are strongly influenced by, as he put it, "the conspicuous and enlightened beauty of French 18th-century taste." His first design was a bronze garden bench, and he would go on to collaborate with skilled cabinetmakers and artisans to realize a wide range of designs, including desks, lighting, and decorative fixtures. "I have no interest in following the trends of contemporary design," Cane has said, "My pieces tend to be much more classic."
