This desk is the work of French artist Jean-Michel Bliard, also known as JM Bliard. He was inspired by the Porsche 917K, a formidable endurance racing car used by Steve McQueen during the production of his film Le Mans in 1973. The desk is a molded fiberglass creation and finished in Gulf Oil’s unmistakable colors: Pantone Blue (PMS 301) and Pantone Orange (PMS 165).
Based in Saint Laurent de Terregatte, Normandy, France, Jean-Michel Bliard works in a former carpentry workshop with high ceilings supported by aged wooden beams resting on concrete block walls built in 1959.
Bliard has admired classic cars all his life, particularly racing cars. He has restored a few in the past and they have always had some influence on his artwork. His art consists primarily of cutting-edge furniture that would not look out of place in a mid-century home in Palm Springs… or the captain’s cabin of the starship Enterprise.
The desk shown in this article was purchased directly from Jean-Michel Bliard in 2010 and comes with its official certificate of authenticity. It measures 237 cm x 106 cm x 76 cm and has a single drawer that faces backwards so that the person sitting can access it. It was sold on May 10, 2024 at auction and achieved a price of 3.840 eurosWould you pay that for him?
