Originally known by his given name (Bibendum), and now known simply as the Michelin Man, this iconic symbol was once designed as a menacing figure to represent the toughness of the company’s bicycle tires. In the poster on the left, he is seen holding a goblet filled with nails and glass. As Michelin shifted from producing bicycle tires to manufacturing car tires, the image of the Michelin Man softened, becoming friendlier and more approachable. In the late 1920s, when Eileen Gray designed a chair reminiscent of stacked tires, she named the chair Bibendum. It remains in production today.

Separating the two time periods is a shelf holding a bottle and a vase reminiscent of the goblet filled with nails and broken glass in the poster. The items on the shelf pay homage to the works of Giorgio Morandi, an Italian artist who painted still-lives of bottles and vases during the period between the two representations of the Michelin Man.

Although inspired by one of my necklaces, the assemblage is the first one I designed without any segment. Materials include dollhouse miniatures, mirrors, acrylic paint, digitally manipulated photographs of Michelin Tire posters, paper and wood.

Custom framed with museum glass in a sophisticated deep wooden frame in collaboration with Chevy Chase Art Gallery, Washington, DC.

Price: USD 2,500.

Frame color: Black

Size (in inches): 9.75 x 13.75 x 4