Crafted by artisans in specialized niche ateliers, Maria Pergay's work has never been subject to mass production. It is a trait readily apparent in the attention to detail and craftsmanship in her work, which is impressive given the unforgiving nature of her medium of choice, stainless steel. Pergay started working with metal in the early 1950s, an opportunity that came to her chance. After seeing the popularity of her window displays, she decided to use her talents to create small ornamental objects out of silver. These decorative objects quickly became popular as corporate gifts, and her clientele included fashion icons like Hermès, Christian Dior, Jacques Heim, and Givenchy. Her surreal creations appear as if they could have been plucked from the imagination of Salvador Dalí, for whom she also created custom pieces.
Only after being approached by Ugine Gueugnon in the mid-1960s did she begin to use stainless steel. They requested that she use the metal to make a variety of items for Uginox, but she suggested that it would be more appropriate to utilize the metal to make furniture rather than ornamental accessories. Upon seeing her creations in an exhibition at Galerie Maison et Jardin in 1968, Pierre Cardin purchased every piece Pergay had on display. A frenzy of success followed the exhibition, which resulted in contracts from the Saudi royal family and the Empress of Iran, as well as exhibitions in New York with Galerie Air France and American furniture designer Harvey Probber. She had become fascinated by the potential of stainless steel. In a 1970 interview with The New York Times, she proclaimed, "Copper is too fragile, aluminum too light, gold too symbolic, silver too weak; bronze is out of fashion and platinum inaccessible. Nothing is more beautiful than steel."
The Ring Chair, or Chaise Anneaux, was one of the first furniture concepts she conceived. It was one of the designs displayed in her shop at the Place des Vosges, in the Galerie Maison de Jardin exhibition, and in her exhibition with Harvey Probber in New York. Less than fifty examples of this chair were created. They were available in two variations containing one or two rings around the seat. Pergay is frequently noted, saying the idea for the "target chair" struck her suddenly as she peeled an orange for her child. Her innovative designs are a result of this intuitive actualization, or "magic," as she refers to it, "Like lighting a match, they appear in a burst, fully formed. When an idea comes, I have to realize it." In the 1970s, images of the chair were widely spread. It was featured in fashion advertisements, promoted in film stills featuring Brigitte Bardot, and made an appearance in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's blockbuster science fiction film World on a Wire.
Pergay never liked being called a "designer." She would much rather describe herself as a "laborer of ideas." And thanks to these innovative ideas, Pergay has received recognition from the National Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur and the Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts & des Lettres, two of the highest commendations for contributions to the decorative arts in France. Her works are now part of numerous private collections worldwide and the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
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