Jules LELEU & Katsu HAMANAKA ()

In 1922, the Leleu brothers appeared on the Parisian scene by exhibiting at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français.Two years later, Jules Leleu settled permanently in Paris and the same year Katsu Hamanaka arrived in the capital where he improved his technical knowledge of traditional Japanese lacquer with Seizo Sugawara.

From the 1930s onwards, Katsu Hamanaka collaborated with renowned decorators such as Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, Jacques Adnet and Jules Leleu, with whom he designed a luxury cabin for L'Atlantique. Their collaboration gave rise to a conversation between European and Asian tradition. Together they created several lacquered screens based on drawings by Jules Leleu as well as armchairs.