Gilles Derain

Gilles Derain is a French designer, born in 1944, and professionally trained in the arts and modernism. He was among the first to discover and study at the UAM (Union des artistes modernes), an active movement between 1928 and 1958 that merged into the International Modern Movement.  Art director and co-founder of the Lumen Center at the end of the 70s, he designed the MCP lamp (Merci Chareau Pierre) in 1979 that was an enormous commercial success, included in the Museum of Decorative Arts collection in Montreal, and the Torchére wall lamp in 1984. In 1985 Gilles Derain created furniture for Pentalux, notably the famous table Balla, made in chrome in homage to the master of Italy's futurist movement, Giacomo Balla (1871-1958) Derain has devoted his design activity to lamps, furniture, carpets and jewelry.