Edgar Brandt

Edgar William Brandt (* 24. December 1880 in Paris ; † 8. May 1960 in Collonge-Bellerive , Geneva ) was a French artist blacksmith of Art Deco , weapons engineer and entrepreneur .

Life

Edgar Brandt was born on December 24th 1880 in 46, rue de Bergelais, Paris to an Alsatian family. From 1884 to 1888 he studied at the École Nationale Professionnelle in Vierzon . In 1901/2 Brandt founded the Établissements Brandt , where he produced jewelry and metal works of art in the Art Deco style and, from 1914, weapons such as mortars for the French army. The company has been refining the Stokes mortar since the 1920s . The 81 mm mortar was introduced into the French army as Mortier Mle 27/31 from 1928 and was an overall commercial success that was exported to 52 countries by 1939. The Mortier de 60 mm Mle 1935 became a standard weapon of the US Army as a 60 mm M2 mortar manufactured under license .

Brandt was appointed officer of the Legion of Honor as early as 1926 . In the same year, with the opening of the Edgar Brandt Gallery and the Société des Etablissements Brandt, the production of art objects and weapons are more clearly separated. The weapons production Brandt in Châtillon-sous-Bagneux in 1936 nationalized by the socialist government (the company merged in 1956 with Hotchkiss et Cie to Hotchkiss-Brandt , which again ten years later in Thomson rose Corporation and now part of Thales Group is. The Brandt brand was last used in the group for household machines and lives on to this day).

Edgar Brandt continued to be successful as an artist in the 1930s. Large orders such as the work for the National Theater of Mexico and the wrought-iron decorations for a large cinema on the Champs-Elysées were carried out in a very short time. For example, the Art Deco style interior in Normandy was spectacular . In 1939 he traveled with his wife Renée geb. Largaud and son Francois in Normandy to the USA and Canada. Just in time before the occupation of the rest of France on November 11, 1942, Brandt moved to Switzerland in August 1942, where he settled at the site of his company Société Anonyme Constructions Mécaniques du Léman CML in Geneva. Edgar Brandt died on May 8, 1960 in Geneva after a long illness.

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personal data
SURNAME	Brandt, Edgar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Brandt, Edgar William (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French art deco blacksmith, weapons engineer and entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH	December 24, 1880
PLACE OF BIRTH	Paris
DATE OF DEATH	May 8, 1960
Place of death	Collonge-Bellerive , Canton of Geneva