Marc Held was born in Paris in 1932. In 1960, he set up his own industrial design bureau in Paris and has since worked for an international clientele. His designs of everyday objects: furniture for the Prisunic chain as well as for Knoll International, watches, cars and other items, received extensive media coverage from the start: He exhibited in major exhibitions such as the Milan Triennale and Eurodomus, and his works can be seen in several museums.
From 1974, his career as an independent architect really took off, although he did not abandon product design. He designed some remarkable works, chiefly private homes, initially modest in size, but widely acclaimed by the international press. He went on to design a number of much larger buildings that put into practice key principles of his architectural philosophy: employing local resources both in terms of labour and materials, and allowing for the geographical, climatic and cultural parameters of the locality.
Obsessively concerned about the wider environment as well as with detail, interested in technological developments but passionately devoted to vernacular architecture and crafts, Marc Held has gradually built up a body of work that far exceeds the scope of passing fashion. The variety of his designs, ranging from a spoon to a factory, their very personal character and technical perfection, place him among the ranks of the great masters.
Over the last few years, Marc Held, has devoted himself to research and writing. His book
'SKOPELOS - The landscapes and vernacular architecture of an Aegean Island'
a study of the plan types and architectural details of the traditional houses of Skopelos, is beautifully produced with many photographs of Skopelos' houses. It is a fascinating to browse through if you have been to Skopelos or if you are interested in vernacular, and particularly Greek, architecture. Beneath its surface, however, it is many other things. For the architect, artist, or historian; the owner, restorer and builder of houses; or for the cultural tourist there is much to catch both the eye and the intellect.
Far greater in scope than a technical guide or an exhaustive description, this book proposes a complete way of life, a cultural enterprise!
‘After twenty years of looking and listening, Marc Held reveals and shares his know-how, so that our eyes are aware of the light, the sea, the rocks and the trees. So that our ears are moved by the wind and the history. So that our hands venture to discover the pleasure of touching and polishing. So that our plans accommodate necessity, continuity, identity. This book embodies the encounter between an author and life on the island of Skopelos.’ --- Jack Lang