e manufacturing spirit which drove modern art was already present in the early years of his work. Prouve manufactured wrought-iron objects such as lamps, chandeliers, hand rails and also furniture. Even then, he decided to distance himself from a decorative approach. In fact, he called himself a ‘wrought-iron worker’, and not a ‘wrought iron artist’. “At first the studio turned out such traditional metal items as interior and exterior grilles, staircases and elevator cabs. Gradually, however, Prouve, who by now was professor of ironmongery at Nancy’s Ecole Superieure, began to produce less conventional designs.” In 1929, Jean was a founding member of the Union of Modern Artists. The manifesto read, "We like logic, balance and purity." not unlike the principles expounded by Galle at the beginning of the century. As a result of this union, his practice of ironworks as an art was strengthened by a solid experience in manufacturing construction components, interior design objects and furnishings.When Prouve started work, “industrialization had already begun to transform building methods: the new materials, steel, cast iron and aluminum had been invented, semi-finished products such as sections and sheet metal were already available”. This situation inspired Prouve to use the machines to work the new materials. Jean Prouve became the pioneer of the industrialization of building construction. The finished building elements that left his factory had only to be put into position. He was always ahead of others, coming up with advanced solutions simply by being up to date. Prouve also put great importance on executing an idea immediately. He emphasized this many times, “ I hate to draw things unless Im going to build them. In my factory, we would turn an idea into reality immediately, be it a house or furniture...It’s no use. Things have to me made.” Jean had a v...
