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M ich a el B o w k e r

P a tric e P in a q u y w a s 22 y e a rs o ld and liv in g

in L o s A n g e le s w h e n h e b egan d u p licatin g

th e cla ssic fu rn itu re h e had lo v e d so m uch

g ro w in g up in th e B asq u e c ity o f B ia rritz,

F ra n ce . B o re d w ith his fa c to ry jo b , P in a q u y

pu rsu ed fu rn itu re m ak in g as a h o b b y . H e

h ad no id ea it w o u ld ig n ite a fu ll-b lo w n p a s-

sion th at w o u ld lead him to his life ’s w o r k .

P in a q u y , n o w 6 2, fo llo w e d d ire ctio n s

in som e 20 0-year-old “ h o w -to ” b o o k s on

m a k in g F re n c h fu rn itu re th a t h e fo u n d in

th e H u n tin g to n L ib ra ry , in S an M a rin o ,

C A , to cre ate h is first m ajo r p ie c e —a L o u is

x v co m m o d e m ad e o f co m p o u n d -cu rved

m arb le w ith in la y s o f B ra zilia n tu lip w o o d

and k in g w o o d w ith g ilt o rm o lu . E n c o u r -

aged b y th e re su lt, h e th en m ade a 5 -b y-io -

fo o t tab le e x te n d in g to 18 fe e t. H e cu t th e

m a h o g a n y slab w ith a b o w sa w , p lan ed it b y

hand and in serted strip s o f e b o n y and b o x -

w o o d in to th e ed g e. A ft e r sp e n d in g d ays

a p p ly in g a d e e p sh e lla c fin ish , h e ste p p e d

b a c k and r e a lize d h e h ad fo u n d h is life ’s

callin g . “ I to ta lly fe ll in lo v e w ith th e p ro -

c e ss,” P in a q u y says. “ T a k in g y o u r tim e and

m ak in g th in gs o f lastin g valu e g iv e s y o u a

d e e p se n se o f s a tis fa c tio n .” A ft e r his tra in -

in g in F ra n ce , h e m ade a sim ilar tab le fo r

C a th e rin e Z e ta-J o n es and M ich a e l D o u g la s.

P in a q u y ’s w o r k a ttra cte d th e atten tio n

o f th e H u n tin g to n L ib r a r y ’s art cu ra to r,

R o b e r t W a r k , w h o e n c o u ra g e d him to r e -

tu rn to F ra n ce to train u n d er th e m asters.

P in a q u y fo llo w e d h is a d vice and sp e n t tw o

y e a rs in P a ris, stu d y in g 12 h o u rs a d ay. H e

to o k art classes at th e L o u v r e to sh arp en

h is fe e l and u n d e rsta n d in g o f th e d esig n s.

R e tu rn in g to th e u . s . in 1975, he w a s so o n

h ired b y th e H u n tin g to n L ib ra ry and the

n e a rb y G e t ty M u se u m to re sto re all th e ir

p ie c e s o f ro y a l fu rn itu re . T h e b o re d o m

o f fa c to ry life w a s b eh in d him fo re v e r.

W h ile in F ra n c e , h e b e g a n c o lle c tin g

17th- and 18 th -cen tu ry to o ls and to d a y m ay

“A r t s h o u l d s l o w l i f e d o w n a n d c r e a t e a p e r f e c t m i n d / h o d y

r e l a t i o n s h i p f o r t h e a r t i s t . W h e n y o u i n s e r t a m a c h i n e b e t w e e n

flo a t, t h e r e la t i o n s h i p c a n b e c o m p r o m is e d . ” — P a t r i c e P i n a q u y

028 american craft oct/nov 10