LONDON.- The Fina Gomez collection of Modern Ceramics sale Part II, which brought together ceramics by various artists including a large selection of ceramics by Cristina Merchán, was 98% sold by lot (100% by value) on Thursday 12 July on Bonhams.com. The top lot was a stoneware sculpture with mineral elements and ash glaze entitled Monumental champignon by Elisabeth Joulia which sold for €25,600. The sculpture had a pre-sale estimate of €2,000-3,000.

The 160-lot sale made a total of €200,128.

Bol à grand pied (Large footed bowl) executed in 1972 by the American artist Fance Franck was sold for €10,880 (estimate: €500 - 700) which is a world record price for the artist. A 1970’s Sculpture made of glazed stoneware by Nadia Pasquer sold for €9,600 against an estimate of €500-700 also a world record price for a piece of ceramics by the artist.

This exceptional collection illustrated Gomez’s taste for contemporary ceramics from the 1960s to the 1990s. The first 64 lots by Cristina Merchán were all exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 1991 during a landmark exhibition under the direction of Yvonne Brunhammer.

Among the selection of 77 works by the Venezuelan artist and ceramicist, Cristina Merchán offered at auction, Animal de Forêt (Forest Anima), 1961, a beautiful modelled and enamelled bronze-green stoneware was sold for €3,520 against an estimate of €2,000 to €3,000. Born in 1926 in Venezuela, Cristina Merchán first studied painting before becoming passionate about ceramics.

Works by Pierre Culot, who worked in the workshops of renowned potters such as Bernard Leach, have been celebrated: a rectangular section vase, 1980s, in sandstone mounted in slabs, matte and shiny enamel was sold for €5,120 and a second one made €4,480 against an estimate of €1,000-1,500 each.

Robert Deblander was also represented with a Vase boule sold for €6,080, twice its pre-sale estimate of €2,000-3,000 and a large 1980’s vase sold for €3,840.

Marcus McDonald, Director of Design at Bonhams, said: “The first part of the Fina Gomez collection last November achieved some great prices and set records for Claire Debril, Geofrrey Doonan, Anne Kjaersgaard, Cristina Merchán, Val Barry. This second part was a renewed tribute to Fina Gomez who loved and collected ceramics throughout her life. These works have become historically important pieces and have been recognized today as masterpieces. A third part is planned to be sold in 2024.”

Other highlights of the sale included:

• A rare Sauterelle (Grassshopper) made of glazed porcelain by Jean Girel sold for €3,520 against an estimate of €500-700.

• A miniature vase, circa 1983, in porcelain, manganese and cobalt blue glazes with sgraffito design by Lucie Rie sold for €5,760 against an estimate of €2,000-3,000.

FINA GOMEZ

Born in 1920, the granddaughter of Juan Vicente Gomez, President of Venezuela, the young Fina discovered a passion for photography from childhood. Over time, she became an admired photographer, creating and developing her works in her Parisian studio. She studied with Madame d'Ora (Dora Kallmus), a famous fashion and portrait photographer, and from 1945 to 1969 exhibited in Caracas and Paris, publishing books of her own photos, as well as in association with poets. and writers. In 1961, she created the Fina Gomez Foundation to promote and support artistic and cultural exchanges between Latin America and Europe and financed numerous art and ceramics exhibitions, as well as cultural or musical events for more than 20 years. In partnership with the French and Venezuelan governments, the Fina Gomez Foundation organised a major exhibition of French Impressionists in 1962-1963. Among her close friends and acquaintances were Carlos Cruz-Diez, Jesus Soto, Geneviève Asse, Pierre Seghers, Cristina Merchán, Manuel Angeles Ortiz, Baltasar Lobo, Armando Barrios, Alejandro Otero, Hector Poleo, Mercedes Pardo, Fance Franck, Emilio Pettoruti, Pablo Picasso and Mercedes Guillen, Yves Saint-Laurent and Christian Dior.