Djinn Bench by Olivier Mourgue for Airborne, 1960s

1960s

“Djinn”

France

Upholstery and chromed steel

40cm high, 127cm wide, 56cm deep

Held at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, inventory no. AM 1993-1-824

Olivier Mourgue (b. 1939) is a French designer best known for his futuristic Djinn furniture series, which gained international fame after appearing in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Sleek, modern forms and innovative use of materials characterise his work. Mourgue studied at the École Boulle and later at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. He worked with designer Marcel Gascoin before joining the French manufacturer Airborne International, where he designed some of his most iconic pieces, including the Djinn series (1965), with its fluid, low-slung forms and metal frames covered in foam and fabric.

In addition to the Djinn collection, Mourgue designed the Bouloum chair, a playful, human-shaped lounge chair, and other notable works for manufacturers such as Disderot and Prisunic. Later in his career, he shifted focus from furniture design to landscape architecture and academia, teaching in Brittany.