Jean Prouvé, the second of seven children, studied fine arts as a teenager and began his metalworking career as a blacksmith, soon moving on to the Parisian workshop of Aldabert Szabo. Before long, in 1923, he opened up his own workshop and studios in Nancy, where he encountered members of École de Nancy, artisans and designers allied with the principles of Art Nouveau. Prouvé expanded from metalwork into furniture, and then into architecture. He became acquainted with Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, and as war approached made breakthroughs in industrial design. Once the country was occupied, he joined the French Resistance. Through original works, drawings, and other archival material, this large-scale exhibition spotlights Prouvé’s many achievements. —Elena Clavarino