Thibault Lannuzel
PhD in Art History, CEA expert, antique dealer and founder of DIZAGN
Thibault Lannuzel devotes his research and professional activity to French design and 20th-century decorative arts, with a particular focus on post-war furniture, French designers active between 1945 and 1980 and, more recently, the Seiz Breur movement and Breton furniture of the 1930s.
Working between Paris and Brest, he develops through DIZAGN an approach based on the study of objects, bibliographic and archival documentation, expertise and the selection of French collectible design.
Career
Alongside his university studies, Thibault Lannuzel gained his first professional experience at Sotheby’s in Paris. He then worked closely for more than eight years with Pascal Cuisinier, from the Marché Paul Bert at the Saint-Ouen flea market to the gallery on rue de Seine, developing an in-depth knowledge of the market and of French post-war design.
Following a monographic study devoted to the French designer Olivier Mourgue, he pursued doctoral research on the history of French design at the Institut national d’histoire de l’art and the Sorbonne. His dissertation, Génération Formes Utiles, étude d’un groupe de designers en France 1945–1973, examines the history, networks and production of the designers who contributed to the renewal of the French living environment during the post-war decades.
In 2017, after completing his PhD, he joined the Compagnie des Experts français en Antiquités (CEA) as an expert. His activity subsequently expanded to expertise, research, writing, exhibition curating and brokerage in 20th-century decorative arts and historic French design.
From 2022, he joined the 20th-Century Decorative Arts / Design department at Artcurial, while developing DIZAGN in parallel as a platform devoted to a documented selection of French collectible design.
Fields of expertise
- French design and 20th-century decorative arts
- French post-war furniture and lighting, circa 1945–1980
- Identification, documentation and attribution of objects and models
- Bibliographic research, archives and public collections
- Expertise and advisory services for collectors, architects and interior designers
- Modern Breton furniture and the Seiz Breur movement
Research and specialisms
His research focuses in particular on French designers associated with the concept of Formes Utiles, on the conditions of production and distribution of modern furniture in France, and on the careers of designers such as Olivier Mourgue.
From Brest, he is also developing a research programme devoted to the Seiz Breur movement and the renewal of Breton furniture during the interwar period. This work notably examines the creations of Jeanne Malivel, Joseph Savina and Paul Fouillen, as well as the relationships between craftsmanship, modern design and regional identity.
DIZAGN: research, expertise and collectible design
Founded and directed by Thibault Lannuzel, DIZAGN is a gallery and specialist dealer in French collectible design and 20th-century decorative arts. The gallery selects and documents furniture, lighting and works of art for collectors, architects and interior designers, with particular attention to the history of each model, its manufacturer, production variants, bibliography and presence in public collections.