ARCHETYPE I

Born in Jerusalem, Raphael Navot moved to Paris after graduating from the Design Academy of Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The multidisciplinary designer has built a cohesive body of work that encompasses furniture pieces, architectural elements, and the creative direction of complete interiors for both institutions and private clients. His artistic vocabulary is deeply informed by the organic material itself and the designer’s fascination for the time-honored techniques that rarefied contemporary artisans carry on.

The designer has garnered international recognition since his collaboration with movie director and artist David Lynch for the design of his Silencio cinema and membership club in Paris. Navot’s most notable public projects include the Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers in Paris, the gastronomic restaurant Le 39V, as well as the Parisian flagship boutique of Japanese brand Pas de Calais. In addition, Raphael has designed furniture pieces and capsule collections for the Editions Domeau & Pérès, Loro Piana Home, Diurne, and Roche Bobois. His personal, limited edition, and bespoke work is represented by the New York gallery Friedman Benda.

The designer's work and his consistent collaboration with master-craftsmen and traditional ateliers reflect the ethos and curatorial direction of Les Ateliers Courbet. In 2017, long-standing friends Navot and gallery founder Melanie Courbet came together and started an immersive collaboration with the master-artisans of Ateliers Saint Jacques — a cooperative of revered craftsmen combining bronze, stone, metal, and wood expertise outside of Paris. The resulting Ateliers Saint Jacques series is part of Editions Courbet —a program through which the gallery invites international artists and designers to visit and collaborate with the master craftsmen and ateliers it represents. Each collaboration follows a common thread and intention to highlight the inspiring work ethos and craftsmanship mastery behind every piece.