Each Claude Victor Boeltz piece is glamorous yet retains a richly organic feel that adds a touch of bold sophistication to any interior. This French Surrealist designer popularized a technique he called “exploded bronze” — a process that has the metal components of a given piece appear as if they were liquified and then crystalized after an explosion.
Boeltz was born in Paris in 1937. There were several artists in his family, and Boeltz quickly developed creative interests at an early age. He fell in love with painting, architecture, ceramics and more, but was also intrigued by scientific fields such as geology and anatomy.
Boeltz studied under the sculptor Henri Molins and apprenticed at the Susse Frères and Houdot foundries. Additionally, he enrolled in classes in the evenings at the Boulle School in Paris and the Paris Academy of Art. He frequented museums and found much to appreciate in the work of artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Demetre Chiparus, Salvador Dalí, and Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann.
After moving to the French Riviera, Boeltz became personally acquainted with Pablo Picasso. He worked for a period with Picasso, and in the mid-1960s, he established a foundry in the Loire Valley. By the late 1960s, his work was being noticed around Europe (his works were sold by the likes of Cartier). His turning point came in the early 1970s when he met the sculptor César Baldaccini, whose “compression” pieces inspired Boeltz to experiment with abandon, and his “exploded bronze” technique was born.
Boeltz’s Hollywood Regency-style furnishings — mirrors, candlesticks, picture frames, lamps and even ceiling fixtures — were made with this new process. The designer then worked to decorate these “exploded” pieces with semi-precious stones — often African emeralds — or other luminous materials such as quartz and Murano glass. He subsequently opened two foundries to produce these kinds of works.
In the early 1980s, Boeltz moved his facilities to the United States. He built a large foundry in Nevada, and today, Las Vegas hotels now house many of his works. His collectors have also included Salvador Dalí, Baron Rothschild and others.
On 1stDibs, find Claude Victor Boeltz decorative items, lighting, serveware and more.
Gilt Bronze and Quartz Stone Coffee Table by Boeltz, France, 1970s
By Claude Victor Boeltz
Located in SAINT-OUEN, FR
Mid-Century Modern Coffee Low Cocktail table in gilt bronze and quartz stone by the french artist Claude Victor Boeltz. The technic was called by the artist "Explosed Bronze".
Stone, Quartz, Bronze
Bronze Éclaté Gilded Bronze Coffee Table Lamp by Claude Victor Boeltz
By Claude Victor Boeltz
Located in Montreal, QC
Bronze éclaté gilded bronze coffee table lamp by Claude Victor Boeltz inset with amethyst quartz. Signed: "Made in France Royale Fonderie P...
Bronze
$4,471
H 12.01 in W 45.28 in D 23.63 in
A NEOCLASSICAL SHABBY-CHIC Lacquer COFFEE TABLE by JEAN-CLAUDE MAHEY France 1970
By Jean Claude Mahey
Located in PARIS, FR
An elegant and luxurious rectangular coffee table, Post-Modernist, Shabby-Chic, base in black lacquered wood, thick square section top in burgundy red lacquered wood (deep and intens...
Brass
$2,588
H 14.18 in W 29.53 in D 29.53 in
Coffee Table by Emiel Veranneman and Victor Vasarely, Belgium 1960's
By Emiel Veranneman, Victor Vasarely
Located in Antwerp, Antwerp
Designed by Emiel Veranneman in collaboration with Victor Vasarely, this coffee table is among the earliest expressions of the dialogue between furniture and Op Art that both figures...
Wood
Hollywood Regency Lacquered Coffee Table by Jean-Claude Mahey
By Jean Claude Mahey
Located in San Diego, CA
Absolutely gorgeous Hollywood Regency style lacquered coffee table by Jean-Claude Mahey, circa 1970s. The table is extremely well constructed with an ivory lacquer veneer finish over...
Wood, Lacquer
Brutalist Steel Coffee Table, France, 1970s
By Pia Manu
Located in Antwerp, BE
This brutalist coffee table in the style of Pia Manu from the 1970s is made entirely of steel. This sculptural piece features a square top with an etched botanical motif that lends o...
Steel
1970s Mid Century Bronze Coffee Table by Daniel Gluck
By Daniel Gluck
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Mid-century bronze coffee table designed and manufactured by Daniel Gluck in the United States circa 1970s. The captivating oval glass top rests gracefully upon a meticulously sculpt...
Bronze
Mid-Century Coral Stone and Glass Top Coffee Table, 1970s
Located in Miami, FL
Large coral stone block base coffee table with 1/2” glass top from the 1970s. Each block weighs 75 lbs and are W9” x D9” x H14.5”. Use with existing glass or have one custom made.
Stone
Gilded wrought iron coffee table by Maison Ramsay
By Maison Ramsay
Located in Uccle, BE
Coffee table by Maison Ramsay. Gilded wrought iron structure with Two Glass Shelves. The clean, geometric lines, emblematic of Maison Ramsay’s creations, reflect a timeless and sophi...
Wrought Iron
$4,000
H 18.9 in Dm 19.69 in
Coffee Table, End of Sofa in Patinated and Gilded Bronze, Flamingo Design.
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Coffee table, end of sofa in patinated and gilded bronze, flamingo design. Design coffee table, gilt and patinated bronze end of sofa, flamingo design, glass top, 20th century. Dim...
Bronze
Jean Claude Dresse Coffee Table in Dark Resin
By Jean Claude Dresse
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Jean Claude Dresse, large coffee table, resin, lacquered steel, Belgium, late 1970s This eccentric coffee table is a masterful creation by Belgian designer Jean Claude Dresse. Every...
Steel
Astro Coffee table by Victor Wilkins, G Plan, 1960s
By G Plan Furniture, Victor Wilkins
Located in Milano, Lombardia
The Astro Coffee Table by Victor Wilkins for G Plan, a quintessential piece from the 1960s, encapsulates the era's iconic design ethos. Crafted with...
Glass, Wood
Square Brass and Glass Coffee Table, France 1970s
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Chic and minimalist square coffee table. The bass is brass and the top smoked glass. Also available is the same table but larger and rectangular.
$1,506
H 16.93 in W 33.47 in D 17.72 in
Italian Louis XV Style Coffee Table in Gilded Bronze with Onyx Top
Located in Casale Monferrato, IT
Italian Louis XV Style Coffee Table in Gilded Bronze with Onyx Top. This is a beautiful and sophisticated coffee table made in Italy around the 70s, it perfectly reflects the distinc...
Onyx, Bronze
Claude Boeltz, Bronze Eclaté Coffee Table, France, circa 1970
By Claude Victor Boeltz
Located in New York, NY
This table’s arresting, gilt bronze base mimics lightning in hue, form, and arrangement. At the base’s centre lies a large amethyst, and the piece is crowned with a wide, rectangular...
Amethyst, Bronze
Claude Victor Boeltz 24k Gold "Exploded Bronze" Table
By Claude Victor Boeltz
Located in New York, NY
An original signed sculptural 24k gold bronze table base by the artist, Claude Victor Boeltz.C. 1975. Two peice base can suppot a varitey of tops, round,squa...
Gold, Bronze