René Lalique Biography
René Jules Lalique (Ay, 6 April 1860 – Paris, 1 May 1945) was a French goldsmith and glassmaker. His creations, mainly depicting natural elements, animals and female nudes, first stood out in the context of Art Nouveau and later in that of Art Deco. Goldsmith, glassmaker and designer, he worked for Cartier, designed jewelery for Sarah Bernhardt and enjoyed great success at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900. Relying more on the originality of the design and the quality of the workmanship than on the value of the material used, Lalique he used, for example, ivory, horn and enamel to create many unique pieces. From the early years of the twentieth century he applied his creativity above all to glass, initially in the goldsmith's art and then more and more often for commercial purposes, dedicating himself to the production of the most diverse articles and applying a great variety of techniques. His business was interrupted during the Second World War, but was resumed by his son Marc in 1946. In 2000, the Swiss entrepreneur Silvio Denz acquired ownership of the Lalique glassworks in Wingen-sur-Moder and extended the Lalique brand to other product categories, including perfumes, jewellery, furnishings and art objects created with artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre and Zaha Hadid.
