After studying architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse, he worked as an architect before turning to industrial design in the 1960s. He founded his own design studio in 1965, where he created furniture, lighting and decorative objects for companies such as Airborne, Sentou, Ligne Roset and Disderot.
Bertrand Balas is best known for designing the famous "Here Comes the Sun" lamp in 1970. This iconic half-sphere-shaped lamp was produced by the French company Disderot and is now exhibited in art and design museums around the world.
Over the course of his career, Bertrand Balas has won numerous awards and distinctions, including the Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris in 1984 and the Prix de l'Observeur du Design in 1997. He was also elected a member of France's Académie des Arts et Techniques du Design in 2000.
Bertrand Balas has left an important legacy in the world of design, and his creations continue to be admired and used worldwide.