Acrobate de Gras N°327 Conique XL

Bernard Albin Gras

Bernard Albin-Gras had never designed a pendant lamp. He was an engineer: every problem needed a solution. In 1921, a cable, a bulb and a shade already existed. For him, that was not a problem to solve, so he never made a pendant. Architects often asked us whether we had a pendant to go with his lamps, and I had to say no. One Christmas Eve, in my mother's kitchen, we were watching Jean-Pierre Pernaut's lunchtime news. There was a report on the Monaco circus, which was appearing on television that evening. I watched the acrobats: one launching himself from a trapeze, the other hanging upside down, arms outstretched to catch his partner after a somersault. I thought: that's the solution! Bernard Albin-Gras was always looking for solutions, and these acrobats showed how to move a light away from its electrical connection. I drew a triangle and two parallel cables on a sticky note and sent it to Bastien. “I've got them, Bastien! The Gras pendants! We'll call them Les Acrobates de Gras.” He called me back and said it was brilliant. I told him we needed to invent a system in the spirit of Gras, to be his heirs and match his ingenuity: a system of cast components and adjustable ball joints that would make these lighting acrobatics possible. That's how we created Les Acrobates de Gras. They offer a very interesting way of positioning light away from its connection point and giving structure to empty space. It always works, whether you use Gras shades or glass globes. It is always elegant. There are plenty of imitators, but Les Acrobates de Gras really have presence.