Christian Duc (1947–2013)

A figure of the 1980s French design scene

Trained in design in Amsterdam and Berlin in the 1970s, Christian Duc founded the company DCA in Paris in 1979 to distribute his work. He designed furniture, lighting, rugs and objects for many manufacturers, and worked as an interior architect in France, Italy, Germany and the United States.

His work was exhibited in New York, Chicago, Tokyo and Montreal, at the Villa Medici in Rome, and at the Fondation Cartier and the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris. Pieces from his Synthèse line entered the collections of the Cooper Hewitt in New York; others joined the decorative arts museums of Paris and Oslo.

His awards include the Grand prix de la critique (1989), the Nombre d'or du mobilier contemporain (1990) and the Grand prix de la création de la Ville de Paris (1990). His interiors include the reception of the Musée de la Poste (1991), the Correspondances store at the Grand Louvre (1995) and the Jim Thompson museum in Bangkok (2003).

Les Comptoirs d'Annam, 1995 to 2013

In 1994, on a journey with Jérôme Mauvernay, he rediscovered rankaku: the eggshell-inlaid lacquer used by the designers of the Art Deco era and since forgotten. The technique answered his search for traditional crafts and noble materials, precious or humble, in the service of contemporary objects and furniture.

In 1995 the brand Les Comptoirs d'Annam was born, created by Jérôme Mauvernay in collaboration with Christian Duc. He designed its collections until 2013: vases, stools, tables, consoles and lighting. His pieces entered the collections of the Mobilier national, the French state furniture collection; one of his consoles stands in the Salon d'argent of the Élysée Palace.

The reissues

Today, Les Comptoirs d'Annam reissue the historic collections designed by Christian Duc, whose models they hold, as well as designs never produced until now. Each piece is made by hand to the same specifications as the originals, and numbered.

The craftsmanship