Alain J.L. Huin
Alain Huin has been at the forefront of international design for over 40 years. His passion for the creative process in many forms – furniture design, architecture, drawing, printmaking, painting and sculpture – has driven his career in exciting directions.
He began his studies at the L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Tours, and went on to graduate from L’Ecole National des Arts Decoratifs (ENSAD) in Paris with a degree in industrial design. He continued his graduate studies at the McGill University School of Architecture. Returning to France, he joined the Alain Richard Agency. Critical acclaim for his design work on Orly Airport and the Paris Metro system lead to a position with Raymond Loewy, where his assignments included the Air France Concorde, Holland Railways, Shell International and the Charles de Gaulle Airport.
In 1973, France’s Mobilier National named Huin Designer of the Year, and his designs are in their permanent collection.
To expand his horizons beyond industrial design, Huin moved to America and collaborated with Charles Eames on furniture collections for Herman Miller. In 1985, he opened Alain Huin Product Design in New York and created furniture and accessories for Ethan Allen, Crate and Barrel, Bloomingdale’s, Restoration Hardware and many other firms.
Huin’s body of work is now in the Architectural Archives Collection of the University of Florida at Gainesville.
Almost 20 years ago Huin moved to Sarasota, Florida – not to retire, but so he could return to his first loves: drawing, painting and sculpture.
Sitting in his studio, surrounded by paintings, prints and piles of notebooks filled with colorful drawings and sketches, Huin laughs, “Art – that’s all I know. I’ll never stop.”