Pierre Yovanovitch Relaunches Ecart With a Paul László Revival
Founded by Andrée Putman in 1978, the Paris gallery is entering a new chapter under Yovanovitch’s creative direction, debuting rigorously researched reissues by László and reaffirming its role as a steward of 20th-century furniture history
For those steeped in 20th-century furniture history, Ecart requires little explanation. The storied Paris gallery, located on Rue Jacob in Saint-German-des-Prés and first known as Ecart International, was founded in 1978 by legendary interior designer Andrée Putman with a clear mission: to reissue significant works by overlooked early-20th-century talents whose furniture rejected passing fashions in favor of enduring elegance. Its program brought renewed attention to figures such as Pierre Chareau, Jean-Michel Frank, Eileen Gray, René Herbst, Robert Mallet-Stevens, and others who shaped the language of modern living. Two years ago, the gallery entered a new chapter when Galerie Creative Mind designer Pierre Yovanovitch acquired its parent company, the artisanal furniture maker d’Argentat, bringing Ecart under his stewardship and setting the stage for its relaunch.
During Paris Deco Off in January, select visitors received an advance look at Yovanovitch’s plans for reactivating the historic gallery. The occasion marked Ecart’s first public presentation under his direction and centered on a focused debut of furniture by Paul László, a major figure of 20th-century modernism whose work closely aligns with Putman’s founding ambitions for the house. As Yovanovitch explains, “Ecart has always been dedicated to giving new life to great designers who shaped the history of modernity but have too often been forgotten. With Paul László, whose refinement and rigor embody the spirit of Ecart, we honor a rich design legacy while bringing it into dialogue with our time.”
Ecart’s relaunch centers on a reissue of ten emblematic works by László, produced in close collaboration with the Hungarian-born designer’s descendants using archives of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Detailed studies of original period pieces allowed for precise measurement of every dimension—a rigor that made it possible to restore the true essence of László’s designs while making them available for public sale.
Highlights include the Palisades cocktail table, which pairs a transparent Lucite top with a sculptural solid-wood base, and the Avondale sideboard and lamp, both distinguished by their woven wood veneer and disciplined materiality. Nearby, archival photographs situate László’s furniture within California midcentury homes, helping reinforce the sensibility behind the work and framing László quote that remains strikingly current: “One million dollars will not build the perfect house. You somehow can’t put everything you want into it. It’s largely a matter of taste, judgment, and talent.”
László emerged as an obvious starting point for Ecart’s relaunch. Yovanovitch first encountered the designer’s work 25 years ago, when he acquired several pieces from a vintage gallery in Los Angeles while working on a townhouse in Paris. Though his coveted pieces have for decades remained difficult to find, László built his reputation on an uncompromising modernist approach and ranks among the defining architects of his generation. After opening his practice in Vienna in 1925, he fled Europe amid the rise of Nazism and relocated to the United States in 1936, establishing a studio on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. His client list soon included political and Hollywood elite, a circle that earned him the moniker “the Rich Man’s Architect” in a 1952 Time magazine article.
László’s career encompassed notable commercial commissions, including the Crenshaw Movie Theatre, the Beverly Hills Hotel, and a department store for Saks Fifth Avenue, yet his reputation ultimately grew through the private residences that defined his practice. Within those homes, he developed a body of furniture marked by generous proportions and a disciplined modern vocabulary that translated architectural ideas into domestic scale. Manufacturers such as Herman Miller, Glenn of California Furniture, and Brown-Saltman later commissioned his work, extending its reach well beyond interiors. László remained professionally active until his death in 1993, at age 93.
While the relaunch focuses on László, Ecart will continue to produce select works from its historical catalogue and gradually introduce additional designers. For now, Yovanovitch views the inaugural reissues a clear statement of intent: “These reissues, produced to the highest standards of French craftsmanship, represent both continuity and renewal.”