Joseph Savina, (1901–1983), was a Breton woodworker,

cabinet maker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (so ...

and sculptor who was a member of the art movement Seiz Breur. He collaborated with Le Corbusier on several projects, and sought to revitalise Breton furniture design. He ran a workshop in

Tréguier Tréguier (; br, Landreger) is a port town in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is the capital of the province of Trégor. Geography Tréguier is located 36 m. N.W. of Saint-Brieuc by road. The port is situ ...

Early life

Savina was born in

Douarnenez Douarnenez (, ; meaning ''douar'' (land) ''an enez'' (the island) or land of the island), is a commune in the French department of Finistère, region of Brittany, northwestern France. It is located at the mouth of the Pouldavid River, an estua ...

. Both his father and brother were cabinetmakers, and Savina was apprenticed in the trade at Tréguier, learning carpentry and carving. He soon progressed to become foreman of the workshop. In 1927, having graduated as a fully trained cabinetmaker, he won the national

Meilleur Ouvrier de France ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France'' (shortened to MOF) is a competition for craftsmen held in France every four years. The winning candidates receive a medal. Description The title of ''Meilleur Ouvrier de France'' is a unique and prestigious award i ...

(Best Craftsman of France) competition. He organized his own design studio in 1929, situated in the rue Saint-André in Tréguier. His early works were mainly statuettes depicting fishermen and restoration work on the carvings in the city's cathedral. He later sought to modernize Celtic traditions, introducing

Celtic knot Celtic knots ( ga, snaidhm Cheilteach, cy, cwlwm Celtaidd, kw, kolm Keltek, gd, snaidhm Ceilteach) are a variety of knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively in the Celtic style of Insular ...

patterns into his work. He joined the

Breton nationalist Breton nationalism ( Breton: ''roadelouriezh Brezhoneg'', French: ''nationalisme Breton'') is a form of regional nationalism associated with the region of Brittany in France. The political aspirations of Breton nationalists include the desire ...

art movement ''Seiz Breur'', which was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, becoming its principal woodworker. He insisted that "plastic work is the basis of architectural work" and was an ardent defender of Breton folk art.

Collaboration with Le Corbusier

He first met Le Corbusier in 1935, leading to a long friendship based on respect and mutual admiration. The two regularly exchanged ideas, and Corbusier expressed admiration for the "sense of plasticity" in Savina's work. Savina executed carvings from Corbusier's drawings."Joseph Savina et le Corbusier", ''

Ouest-France ''Ouest-France'' ( ; French for "West-France") is a daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on both local and national news. The paper is produced in 47 different editions covering events in different French départments within the régio ...

'', 26 Jan, 1997. Under Corbusier's influence Savina made a number of abstract sculptures. Corbusier wrote to Savina of these works: "Your works are just the right size; art for the apartment; art for the loving collector". He added that "this type of sculpture comes into what I call the plastic-acoustic: that is to say forms that both speak and listen.sculpture entre dans ce que j'appelle la plastique acoustique, c'est-à-dire des formes qui émettent et qui écoutent". Savina ran his workshop until 1970, when he retired and passed it to his protégé Michel Le Calvez. The ''Lycée Joseph Savina'' in Tréguier is named for him.

References

Bibliography

''Le Corbusier et la Bretagne'' catalogue of the exhibition at Chateau de Kerjean (Finistère), Editions nouvelles du Finistère - Quimper Brest, 1996 {{DEFAULTSORT:Savina, Joseph People from Finistère Breton artists 1901 births 1983 deaths