Since artists have a visionary and precious vision of the world, Roche Bobois has fre-
quently collaborated with the art world: in 2015, the In-Extérieur exhibition was de-
voted to Street Art actors and the evolution of their practices in workshops. Since 2017,
Fotofever has given Roche Bobois the opportunity to place some of its designs in a
dialog with contemporary photography. In 2018, the UnterLinden museum in Colmar
featured the works of Georges Baselitz with selected pieces from Roche Bobois’ col-
lections. In 2019, the meeting with Joana Vasconcelos gave life to a particularly crea-
tive reinterpretation of 6 iconic pieces from Roche Bobois’ collections.
In 2019, while visiting the Roche Bobois Lisbon showroom in search of a lamp, Joana
Vasconcelos discovered the Mah Jong sofa, designed by Hans Hopfer in 1971. She was
born that same year, which she interpreted as a sign: a collaboration began to form.
A few months later, the brand entrusted the artist with six of their designs and gave
her carte blanche to reinterpret each piece: two Ava chairs, the Lady B and Nuage ar-
mchairs, the Sismic and Cute Cut tables as well as the iconic Mah Jong.
COMING TOGETHER
“When we approached Joana Vasconcelos to collaborate with Roche Bobois, we had
two wishes in mind. Our first intention was to give voice to a contemporary artist who is
touching yet surprising, and to offer her to work with an unsual medium of expression: the
functional object. But above all, our goal was to offer our clients the chance to bring home a
piece of a dream: a creative, flamboyant and delightful collection, an optimistic and quirky
version of our French Art de Vivre, as transcended by the eye of Joana Vasconcelos.’’
Nicolas Roche
