Courtray Victor

Biography

Victor Courtray was a French designer who studied at the École Boulle, graduating in 1914. Four years later he began a collaboration with Maurice Dufrêne, followed by a partnership with Paul Follot, director of the Bon Marché's workshop, Pomone. He went on to design furniture for the DIM company and exhibited at both the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs and the Salon d'Automne.

After this Parisian chapter, Courtray relocated to the South-West of France. While his early work was rooted in Art Deco, his discovery of Biarritz, Bayonne, Bordeaux, Pau and Dax in 1924 drew him in a new direction - towards a rustic, neo-Basque style that became his signature. That same year he opened his own design house, which went on to considerable success.