PARIS.- On 29th November,
Artcurial will organise its traditional 2nd semester design event. An initial auction will take place at 6pm focussing on Scandinavian design and at 8pm the auction house will sell off the collection once belonging to an American who was passionate about French design. Gathering 80 lots and presenting the biggest names of French design, highlights include the French Masters from around the 1950s, Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier and also Jean Royère, Serge Mouille, Matthieu Matégot and André Bloc. The Italian designers include Carlo Mollino and Gio Ponti and work by the contemporary Israeli designer; Ron Arad will also be presented.
Artcurial’s Design auctions have made a name for themselves around the world and it is thanks to the relationships built with key international collectors and also the important pieces on sale, sometimes previously unseen on the market. Organising an event in the French capital is significant as French historic designers are amongst the most sought after today and reach record results at auction.
“The sale of part of the collection of this design enthusiast (mainly French) is a prestigious event featuring a range of quality and rare works which offer a breath of fresh air to the art market. The collection reflects the research, paradoxes and passion of one man. It is always a pleasure to offer a collection at auction and once again we are thrilled to celebrate a passion which we share with a great number of collectors.” --Fabien Naudan, Vice-President, Artcurial
Design Panorama from the mid 20th century
With 80 lots, Collecting on the wild side boasts a panorama of the essence of French design and mid 20th century Italian design. Organised around three decades: the late 1940s, the 1950s and the 1960s, the collection offers a complete vision of how Design emerged and its rapid evolution. French furniture with Jean Prouvé’s creations will headline the auction as the collector has been passionate about Prouvé for the past 30 years. His work, a cross between architecture and furniture design illustrates the delicate way in which he works metal, the symbol of the modern society. The auction will present a set of furniture from the Villa Saint-Clair. Built in 1948 by Jean Prouvé, the holiday home was constructed in Lavandou for the Dollander family. The architecture reflects Jean Prouvé’s constructive style and has a metal roof supported by a central beam and metal gates. All furniture was designed by Jean Prouvé and has conserved the original light green metal colour. Highlights include a desk and shelving unit estimation : 15 000 – 25 000 € / 16 500 – 26 500 $) and also beds and wardrobes (estimation : 30 000 – 50 000 € / 33 000 – 55 000 $).
The collector also acquired shelving units by Mathieu Matégot, a metal virtuoso whose piece, Dédal from 1956 made of perforated tin sheets is estimated at 15 000 – 25 000 € / 16 500 – 26 500 $.
The collector experiments with styles and contrasts the force and roughness of work by Jean Pouvé with the smooth decorative style of Charlotte Perriand and the light, refined style of Italian designers such as Gio Ponti and Carlo Mollino. A beautiful desk by Carlo Mollino which was designed for the publishing house Lattes en 1951, made from sculpted ash is estimated at 50 000 – 70 000 € / 55 000 – 77 000 $ and the Jean Royère red velvet sofa is estimated at 300 000 – 500 000 € / 330 000 – 550 000 $ and a pair of polar bear armchairs is estimated at 200 000 – 300 000 € / 220 000 – 330 000 $
French Masters are at the heart of this stunning collection, but nevertheless a few pieces of metal contemporary works have also been integrated. Two examples of how the collector continues to acquire works ‘on the wild side’ : The Rover 2 Seaters sofa made by Ron Arad in 1981 (estimation : 6 000 – 8 000 € / 6 600 – 8 800 $) and the sofa made by NIGO and street artists KAWS in 2005 for Cassina, a one off piece estimated between 8 000 – 12 000 € / 8 800 – 13 200 $.
The Story behind a collection
For the past 30 years, this American, passionate about design has constituted an impressive collection. Spending countless hours at auctions, in galleries and specialised trade-fairs, he has gathered the essence of French creation from the early 1950s and adds a magic touch with works by Italian designers.
At first, the collector took an empirical approach and acquired works through taste and personal discovery in a chorological order, from the last traces of art deco to the first modernist tentative and finally post-war work. The collector has always been particularly demanding, seeking only the most beautiful and rare pieces for his collection. A passionate soul, he continued to acquire furniture, lights and decorative objects, sometime in several editions. At the turn of the millennium, he even asked himself if he was going to become a dealer but swiftly abandoned the idea as he couldn’t imagine parting with his treasures. The collector’s American home is the setting for his collection and he lives surrounded by works so that he can admire them on a daily basis. The photographs featured in the auction catalogue show his interior, a canvas where works of art can create a dialogue.
Collecting on the wild side, is the auction of part of a magnificent collection and reflects the portrait of the man who built it: a man with high standards, confident and somewhat intimidating, and a well known figure in the fashion world. Design is one of his many passions, alongside taxidermy and punk rock, inspired by the wild American spirit.
