PARIS.- Artcurial, a key international player in the Design market is, for the second time, organising an exceptional Design auction during the FIAC, on 27 October. Profiting from the presence in Paris of collectors from around the world, the auction house is reaffirming its commitment to this important area of contemporary creation.

Following the success of the solo sale dedicated to Ron Arad, last October, a selection of 20 pieces will once again be offered at auction, with the aim of bringing together, albeit briefly, the ideal collection. Assembled by Emmanuel Berard, director of the Design Department, and Fabien Naudan, Vice-President of Artcurial, the works reflect the diverse nature of Design with major, iconic pieces that are unique for their origins, scale and provenance. They will undoubtedly appeal to the most demanding international collectors.

Scandinavian Design (with an extremely rare Bone Chair by Finn Juhl), Italian Design (with the enormous floor lamp Moloch by Gaetano Pesce and an exceptional hanging light by Ettore Sottsass from the late 50s, not seen at auction until now), French Masters (Charlotte Perriand and of course Jean Prouvé with Trapèze, a unique table from the refectory of the Cité U d’Anthony), will all be represented along with contemporary work (by Marc Newson and Ron Arad) and also pieces by the forefathers of modern design (Robert Mallet-Stevens, Gerrit Thomas Rietveld and Jean Royère…).

Emmanuel Bérard, Artcurial’s director of the Design Department explained : « This ideal collection brings together our Masterpieces. It is, of course, subjective but for us, each of these 20 pieces has a special place in the history of Design. It has been a challenge to bring them all together and we are very proud of the final result. Every piece is unique and we are certain that collectors will share our excitement. We have set aside some very nice surprises: it will, for example, be the first time that the Maison du Mexique bookcase can be seen again in its original from as conceived by Charlotte Perriand! »

THE « MAISON DU MEXIQUE » BOOKCASE
The piece that best encapsulates the sale is undoubtedly the bookcase known as « Maison du Mexique » by Charlotte Perriand, 1952 (estimate : 80 000 – 120 000 € / 90 000 – 135 000 $). This is a genuine Design icon and one of the most well known pieces of French production from the 1950s. It required extensive research by Artcurial’s Design Department to be able to present at auction, for the first time, the original version of this iconic bookcase.

Indeed, the « Maison du Mexique » bookcases previously offered in public and private sales have not conformed to Charlotte Perriand’s original design because the feet were added subsequently. It was thought that the original feet had disappeared but Artcurial has managed to locate a genuine pair belonging to the bookcase.

It was originally designed to separate the living space from the bathroom in the student rooms of the Maison du Mexique, in the Cité Universitaire Internationale de Paris. With this in mind, the feet, made of concrete, were sealed to the floor and covered in the same material as the bathroom floor : a white tile.

Put back on its original base, found by Artcurial, the piece of furniture has a different appearance. It changes the proportions, improves the stability and gives a new perspective to the piece. It will be unveiled to collectors for the first time in the Design Masterpieces sale.