French born but trained in London, René Herbst worked in a variety of architecture studios in London and Frankfurt, following study tours which also brought him to visit Russia and Italy.
In his early works, the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement and Jugendstil is clearly notable.
Together with Le Corbusier and Eileen Gray, among others, he founded the Union des Artistes Modernes in Paris in 1929, as a reaction to the decorative excesses of the dominant Art Deco style.
Herbst was a precursor in the use of industrial metals, and manufactured his furniture in the factory he himself founded. The renowned chair designed by Herbst and presented at the 1929 Salon d'Automne in Paris: tubular steel structure, seat and back in elastic strings, normally used for tieing up packages to bicycles.
In addition to architecture and design, Herbst also created shop window and lighting displays.
Captivated by the “modern world,” he was firmly convinced that bringing art "to the street" was the best way to bring together the cities of the 20th century.