L'Instant Durable was a French brand of paper models of architectural structures produced by Société Presse Régie Édition Publicité (SOPREP), a publishing company based in
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...
, France, active from 1967 to 2016.
History
Paul de Boever, architect, and Alain de Bussac who was working in the graphic arts and industries, conceived the L'Instant Durable brand, influenced by the tradition of architectural paper modelling introduced by the in the 19th century. They created the concept of the ''livre-maquette'' (model book): the cutouts were bound in a book, which included a historic text on the architectural object. It was translated into several languages. The authors were architects and artists who used the latest reproduction techniques. All the structures were represented at a similar scale (1/250 or, more rarely, 1/500).
In 1983, the collection ''Architecture et Modélisme'' is launched with the first title being on the Château de Chenonceau (architects P. De Boever and Bernard Deubelbeiss, texts A. de Bussac).
From 1984 onward, several titles appear each year in the model-book collection, each one requiring two years preparation. The publishing house gathers together new architects : Thierry Hatot, Jean-Marie Lemaire, Jean-Tristan Roquebert and new graphic artists and illustrators : Anne-Marie Piaulet, Pierre Guérin, Hughes Renier, Jacques Martin (creator of the comic book characters
Alix
''Alix'', or ''The Adventures of Alix'', is a Franco-Belgian comics series drawn in the ligne claire style by Jacques Martin. The stories revolve around a young Gallo-Roman man named Alix in the late Roman Republic. Although the series is ren ...
and Enak).
In 1986, creation of a collection of postcard models to cut out representing world-famous monuments, with a definite predominance of European monuments, as well as historic statuettes. This collection includes more than 150 titles in its catalogue in 2009. In the same year a collection of die-cut model cards makes its debut.
In 1991, the new collection ''Grand Angle'' proposes models on more varied themes to complement the models consecrated to architecture.
In 1998, launching of ''Compas'', a collection of books on art and architecture in the form of mini encyclopaedias with the collaboration of specialists such as
François Taillandier
François Taillandier (born in 1955, Clermont-Ferrand, France) is a French writer portraying the French contemporary society.
Life
Henri Vernes, creator of Bob Morane, fired a passion the 12-year-old Taillandier was not going to give up.
In 1968 ...
(
Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française
The is a French literary award, created in 1914, and given each year by the Académie Française. Along with the Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the ...
), Thierry Hatot (lauréat du Salon du Livre d'Architecture de
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
, 1987,
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*: Historique de la société, conception des modèles et catalogue : article rédigé à l'issue d'une interview d'Alain de Bussac par Liane Strüver le 22 juin 2006 et d'informations obtenues de la société en 2007.
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*: Réalisé en collaboration avec la Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques, l'ouvrage présente, après un historique partant de la fin du XVIIe siècle, plusieurs maquettes du monde entier, dont celles de L'Instant Durable.
*
*: L'auteur évoque "la découpe sur différents matériaux, en particulier le papier, support remis en valeur depuis un quart de siècle en France par l'Instant Durable pour représenter le patrimoine architectural".