Aluminum Mannequin By René Herbst For Siegel

This display mannequin, designed by René Herbst for the Siegel company in the 1930s, is presented as a stylized female bust.

Its structure is made of a tubular metal frame outlining the contours of a torso, featuring two hemispheres that subtly suggest the breasts. The ensemble rests on a rectangular aluminum base, a material used throughout the entire composition, thus asserting a distinctly industrial and modernist aesthetic.

René Herbst was one of the pioneers of 20th-century modernist design. Trained in architecture in London and Frankfurt from 1908, he developed an early sensitivity to refined forms and industrial materials. After World War I, he founded the Établissements René Herbst in Paris, where he created innovative furniture pieces, including the iconic Sandows Chair (1927), made of metal tubing and elastic bands.

In 1930, he co-founded the Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM) alongside figures such as Robert Mallet-Stevens and Francis Jourdain, marking a break with Art Deco and advocating for a functional and rational aesthetic. Herbst championed the concept of “useful art,” where everyday objects carry meaning and innovation.

His collaboration with the Siegel company on the creation of display mannequins perfectly embodies this approach: stylized forms, modern materials, and a desire to redefine the codes of commercial presentation.