"René Herbst" by Solange Goguel — Definitive Monograph, Editions du Regard, 1990

The definitive monograph on René Herbst (1891–1982), one of the founding figures of French modernism and a pioneering advocate for the industrialization of furniture as a form of modern design. Herbst trained as an architect and worked across furniture design, interior architecture, shop-window and boutique design, and exhibition design, co-founding the Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM) in 1929 alongside figures such as Pierre Chareau, Robert Mallet-Stevens, and Charlotte Perriand — a radical break from the more decorative Art Deco establishment in favor of function, industrial materials, and tubular steel construction.

This richly illustrated volume, written by design historian Solange Goguel, traces Herbst's full career: his early Art Deco interiors and boutique storefronts of the 1920s (including his celebrated shop windows for Perugia and Siegel), his pivotal shift toward tubular steel furniture — most famously his "Sandows" chair with its elasticated rubber cord seat and back — his work as an ensemblier for private clients including the Aga Khan, his UAM exhibition installations of the 1930s, and his later postwar and mid-century work through the 1950s including exhibition stand design for OTUA.

The book is comprehensively illustrated with period photographs of interiors, boutiques, and furniture, along with archival sketches, gouache design studies, and documentation of major exhibitions including the Salon d'Automne and UAM shows. It stands as the essential scholarly reference on Herbst's career and remains widely cited in provenance and attribution research for his furniture and interior work.

Contents: Full biographical and career survey organized by period and practice area (Architecte d'Intérieur/Ensemblier, boutique and shop-window design, UAM exhibitions, furniture); extensive period photography and archival design drawings; bibliography.

Reference value: The standard monograph and reference work on René Herbst; essential for attribution and provenance of UAM-era French modernist furniture and interiors.