This supremely illustrated first volume encompasses four decades of creations in Europe and the United States. It elaborates on little-known aspects of his biography, thanks to the wealth of information discovered by its authors: his training at Waring & Gillow, his participation in 39 trade fairs and exhibitions between 1919 and 1940, his involvement with the “Group of 5” and the Union des Artistes Modernes, his collaborations on Marcel L’Herbier film décors, the encounters with artistic movements such as cubism that proved decisive, the store he founded with his wife Dollie, the release of various objects, his proximity to the world of art and figures like Jeanne Bucher, Jean Lurçat, Jacques Lipchitz, Rose Adler, Max Jacob, Rob Mallet-Stevens, Nicolas de Staël and Robert Motherwell, as well as his activity as a collector and his flight to the US in 1940 to escape the Nazi regime. All these biographical facts help us understand his professional choices while, for the first time, drawing up an all-embracing portrait of this exceptional artist. Lastly, the book contains a detailed presentation of the designer’s furniture, crafted mainly for more than 75 private and public settings, providing an impressive list of all his creations. Richly illustrated with around 500 images, this first volume finally offers a comprehensive overview of the furniture and luminaires he produced, drawing predominantly from various picture archives (the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, MoMA in New York).