Influenced by Josef Hoffmann, the Viennese architect of the Stoclet Palace in Brussels, Mallet-Stevens is revealed in this work, which brings together archives and largely unpublished iconography, as one of the major figures in the development of modern architecture in France. This is evidenced by his achievements (Paul Poiret's château in Mézy, the Villa Noailles in Hyères, the Villa Cavrois in Croix, the Saint-Jean-de-Luz casino, the workshops and houses lining Rue Mallet-Stevens, a fire station in Paris, and a distillery in Istanbul...) as well as his notable contributions to the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts (the cement trees and the Tourism Pavilion), the 1937 International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques (the Pavilions of National Solidarity, Hygiene, Electricity, and Light...), and the competitions for the two museums of modern art at the Palais de Tokyo and for Le Bourget Airport.Founder in 1929 of the UAM (Union of Modern Artists) and a furniture designer, Mallet-Stevens was also the set designer for some twenty films in the 1920s, including L'Inhumaine and Le Vertige by Marcel L'Herbier.
