2812 PDF
2812 PDF
MASTERPIECES
MARDI 27 OCTOBRE 2015 19H
PARIS 7, ROND-POINT DES CHAMPS-LYSES
2. DESIGN MASTERPIECES | 27 OCTOBRE 2015. PARIS
ARTCURIAL
BRIESTPOULAINF.TAJAN
DESIGN MASTERPIECES
ASSOCIS VENTE N2812 EXPOSITIONS PUBLIQUES
Comptabilit vendeurs
Charlotte Norton
Tl.: +33 (0)1 42 99 20 23
[email protected]
Comptabilit acheteurs
Charlotte Norton
Tl.: +33 (0)1 42 99 20 23
[email protected]
Transport etdouane
Marine Viet
Tl. : +33 (0)1 42 99 16 57
[email protected]
Photographie:
Wilfrid Gremillet
Traduction:
Nazanine Lankarani Artcurial Live Bid Ordres dachat,
Assistez en direct aux ventes enchres par tlphone
Pour les lots en provenance hors CEE, aux enchres dArtcurial et Thomas Gisbert de Callac
il convient dajouter 5,5 % du prix dadjudication enchrissez comme si vous y tiez, Tl.: +33 (0)1 42 99 20 51
pour le lot prcd de ce symbole (lot 13) cest ce que vous offre le service, [email protected]
Le lot 1 est vendu en collaboration avec Artcurial Live Bid.
Artcurial Toulouse Vedovato Rivet Pour sinscrire: www.artcurial.com
Lot 11
En ralit, ce nest pas une affaire dargent.
The truth is, it is not about money.
Lorsque nous avons mis le souhait, dans la foule du succs de la vente When we expressed the desire, on the heels of the success last year of the
monographique consacre Ron Arad lan dernier, dimaginer une nouvelle monographic sale devoted to Ron Arad, to hold an auction of twenty
vente, au moment de la Fiac, duniquement 20 lots patiemment choisis, meticulously chosen lots during this years FIAC, our vision was quite
nous avions une ide prcise. explicit.
Lide tait de penser une vente comme un rcit dont les 20 chapitres It was to conceive of a sale that would serve as a narrative told in twenty
seraient autant dhistoires, de dcouvertes, dexcitations et de dsir. chapters, each one telling a story of discovery, of thrills, of desire.
20 chapitres qui parleraient bien sr de lhistoire du design, des grands noms Each chapter would, of course, recall the history of design, of the great
de cette discipline et de ses icnes. 20 chapitres qui parleraient aussi names of this discipline, and of the icons that have built its legend. But
de nous, de ce qui nous fait vibrer, de ce qui nous meut et de ceux que each would also speak of every one of us, of what touches our soul, of
lon aime. Enfin, 20 chapitres qui seraient un peu, en filigrane, lhistoire what moves us, of those we love. Finally, the twenty chapters would evoke,
du design chez Artcurial, scande par les noms qui marqurent ses succs, between the lines, the history of design at Artcurial punctuated by the
si nombreux depuis 12 ans. names of those that have marked its own many successes over the last
twelve years.
crire ces 20 chapitres ncessite de choisir chaque pice avec discernement.
Design Masterpieces, est une promesse, mais, comme nous lavons souvent Writing these twenty chapters required choosing each piece wisely.
rpt, ce nest pas une affaire dargent. Les pices que nous avons Design Masterpieces is a promise, but as we have often said, it is not
rassembles dans ce catalogue ne sont pas ncessairement les plus chres about money. The pieces assembled in this catalogue are not necessarily
de leur catgorie. Ce sont les plus rares, les plus belles, celles qui feraient the priciest in their respective categories. They are, however, the rarest,
vibrer des passionns comme nous et celles qui feraient fondre de dsir the most stunning, and among those that will surely move enthusiasts
ceux qui ont dj tout! like ourselves and melt the heart of those who have everything already!
Lhistoire peut donc dbuter. Nous esprons quelle vous plaira et quelle The story can now begin. We hope it will please and amaze you. Most of
vous tonnera. Nous esprons surtout que vous serez, la fin de ce rcit, all, we hope that by the end of the story, you will be convinced as we are,
convaincus, comme nous, que ce nest pas une histoire dargent. that it was never about money.
Provenance:
Cabinet du docteur J. Bretagne, Lorient
Collection particulire, Lorient
Par descendance jusqu lactuel propritaire
Bibliographie:
P.E. Martin-Vivier, Jean Royre, ditions Norma,
Paris, 2002. Modle similaire dans sa version
adulte reproduit en couleur p. 254
Jean Royre, ditions Galerie Jacques Lacoste
et Galerie Patrick Seguin, Paris, 2012. Modle
similaire dans sa version adulte reproduit en
couleur p. 111 du vol. 1
Jean Royre, Dcorateur Paris, Catalogue
de lexposition au Muse des Arts Dcoratifs
du 8 octobre 1999 au 30 janvier 2000, ditions
Norma, Paris, 1999. Modle similaire dans sa
version adulte reproduit en couleur p. 72
20 000 30 000
Lanne 1931 marque le dbut de la grande carrire de Jean Royre. The year 1931 marked the launch of a great career for Jean Royre,
Elle spanouira jusquen 1972, anne o il mettra fin son activit one that flourished until 1972 when he ceased his activity as an interior
darchitecte dintrieur. designer.
Durant ces cinq dcennies, il sera lun des principaux talents de la dcoration For five decades, Royre remained a major talent in French decoration,
franaise, exportant son got et son savoir-faire sur tous les continents: exporting his personal taste and know-how onto every continent. Beirut,
Beyrouth, Paris, Thran, Sao Paulo ou Lima sont quelques-unes des villes Paris, Tehran, Sao Paulo or Lima were only a few of the cities in which
dans lesquelles il amnagea de luxueuses rsidences. he decorated luxurious residences.
Mais Royre pouvait galement compter sur une importante clientle But Royre also relied on an important French clientele, one that first
franaise qui dcouvre ses crations dans les Salons et Expositions discovered his creations in the salons and exhibitions regularly held
organises rgulirement Paris et dont les dcouvertes sont reproduites in Paris. Highlights from those shows were published in the new home
dans les pages des magazines de dcoration qui naissent cette poque. decoration magazines that were just staring to appear during that period.
Le docteur Jean Bretagne est pdiatre, Lorient. Son cabinet situ sur Jean Bretagne was a pediatrician based in the city of Lorient. His office
llgant Quai des Indes est florissant. Dans les annes 1950, il commande was located on the elegant Quai des Indes and his practice was flourishing.
Jean Royre un ensemble de mobilier pour meubler son cabinet. Outre un In the 1950s, Dr. Bretagne placed an order with Jean Royre for furniture
grand canap et des fauteuils uf, le Dr Bretagne commande Royre deux for his office. In addition to a large Egg sofa and chairs, Dr. Bretagne ordered
exemplaires de ce modle adapt la taille de ses patients: les enfants. two Egg chairs in a special size better suited to his patients: children.
Madame X, qui rejoint le cabinet en 1963, garde un souvenir trs prcis de Madame X, who joined the same practice in 1963, has a vivid recollection
cet amnagement dont les patients apprciaient le confort et loriginalit. of the office decoration that was much appreciated by patients both for
Dailleurs, le successeur du Dr Bretagne, le Dr Ravot conservera cet its comfort and originality. Dr. Bretagnes successor, known as Dr. Ravot,
amnagement. Fidle au cabinet du Quai des Indes, Mme X. est reste aux in turn, left the decoration unchanged. Faithful to the practice on the
cts du nouveau pdiatre. Cest lorsquil passera son tour, la main Quai des Indes, Madame X stayed on even after the new pediatrician had
son successeur dans les annes 1980 quil fera cadeau Mme X dun des joined. In the 1980s, Dr. Ravot handed the practice over to Madame X, also
petits fauteuils qui meublait la salle dattente du cabinet. Il restera depuis offering her as a gift, one of the tiny armchairs placed in the office waiting
dans la mme famille. room. That chair would remain, from that point on, in the same family.
Avec sa forme quasi-lmentaire, ce fauteuil est emblmatique du travail With its quasi-elementary form, this armchair is representative
des annes 1950 de Royre, et tmoigne de lattention quil portait au of Royres work in the 1950s, and reflects his interest in the animal
monde animal qui constituait une de ses principales sources dinspiration. kingdom, one his main sources of inspiration.
Mais le tour de force rside aussi dans son sens aigu des proportions: But the tour de force here resides in Royres sharp sense of proportions.
dans la taille particulirement contraignante impose par la commande Despite the particularly constraining dimensions imposed by Dr.
du Dr Bretagne, Royre parvient conserver intact lquilibre du dessin Bretagnes special order, Royre was able to conserve the balanced design
de son fauteuil uf. Un chef duvre. of his Egg armchair, a masterpiece.
Provenance:
Offerte par Jean Prouv sa fille en 1952
Conserve dans la famille depuis
Bibliographie:
J. Barsac, Charlotte Perriand, un art
dhabiter, ditions Norma, Paris, 2005. Modle
rapprocher en termes de dimensions et de
composition de la bibliothque dite Tunisie
reproduite en couleur p. 364
J. Barsac, Charlotte Perriand, Luvre
complte Vol. 2 1940-1955, Archives Charlotte
Perriand, ditions Norma, Paris, 2015. Modle
rapprocher en termes de dimensions et de
composition de la bibliothque dite Tunisie
reproduite en couleur p. 367
M. McLeod, Charlotte Perriand, an art of
living, ditions Abrams, New York, 2003. Modle
rapprocher en termes de dimensions et de
composition de la bibliothque dite Tunisie
reproduite en couleur p. 229
40 000 60 000
En 1952, la fille ane de Jean Prouv emmnage avec celui qui est dsormais In 1952, Jean Prouvs eldest daughter moved to Nancy with the man
son poux. Le jeune couple sinstalle dans un appartement du centre who was henceforth her husband. The young couple settled in an
de Nancy, deux pas de la place de la Carrire, dans le prolongement de apartment in the center of Nancy, just steps from the Place de la Carrire,
la place Stanislas. Il est typique de ce quartier historique avec ses pices an extension of the Place Stanislas. It was an apartment typical of that
en enfilade et ses moulures de stuc. historic neighborhood with its linked rooms and stucco moldings.
Jean Prouv, qui na pas encore fait construire sa maison sur les flancs Jean Prouv, who had yet to build his home on the flanks of the hills that
de la colline qui domine la Ville, est aussi un habitant du quartier. Cest dominated the city, also lived in the same neighborhood. It was the first
dailleurs le premier appartement dans lequel il sinstalle vritablement apartment in which he truly settled and, within a few years, this modern
et, en quelques annes, ce constructeur moderne a su apprivoiser la builder had managed to tame the classical structure of the historic
structure classique des immeubles historiques de Nancy. Dans son salon, buildings of Nancy. In his living room dominated by an imposing marble
domin par une imposante chemine de marbre et son trumeau, il installe fireplace topped with a mirror, he had arranged, around a table designed
autour dune table conue par Pierre Jeanneret, ses chaises Standard by Pierre Jeanneret, his own Standard chairs, in bright-colored
de mtal laqu aux couleurs vives, ainsi que les fauteuils visiteurs lacquered metal as well as his Visitor armchairs and his wooden chests.
et ses bahuts en bois. Quant aux moulures du haut plafond, elles se The moldings on the high ceiling were complemented beautifully by
marient merveille avec la longue potence de mtal qui illumine la pice. the steel metal rod of the Potence lamp that illuminated the room. That
Cette confrontation fait beaucoup deffet chez les visiteurs de Prouv confrontation made a lasting impression on those who visited Prouvs
et chez sa fille qui vcut dans cet appartement et en apprcia le cadre apartment as well as his daughter who enjoyed the functional setting
fonctionnel imagin par son pre. created by her father.
Cest donc pour prolonger cette exprience que Jean Prouv offrit In order to prolong the experience, Jean Prouv treated the young couple
aux jeunes maris de quoi meubler leur premier domicile. Parmi ces to furnishings for their first home. Among them figured this suspended
meubles, cette bibliothque suspendue plots mtalliques multicolores bookcase with multicolor metallic elements on which the storage space
dont chacun de ses trois tages de rangement se clt par des portes en on three levels could be hidden by sliding panels of diamond-point
aluminium pointe de diamant aux couleurs assorties. peine sortie aluminum in matching colors. Having barely left the Maxville factory,
des Ateliers de Maxville, cette bibliothque est certainement lune des the bookcase is surely one of the earliest pieces resulting from the
premires pices issues de la collaboration entre Charlotte Perriand collaboration between Charlotte Perriand and the Ateliers Jean Prouv.
et les Ateliers Jean Prouv.
Its structure and assembly hint at the genesis of the bookcase that the
Sa structure et sa construction portent la gense de la clbre bibliothque Ateliers would later produce for the Maison de la Tunisie on the Cit
que les Ateliers produiront pour la Maison de la Tunisie de la cit Universitaire Internationale in Paris. But most of all, this piece which
universitaire internationale Paris. Mais avant tout, cette pice, reste had remained in the family since the 1950s is an intimate witness to the
dans la famille depuis les annes 1950, est un tmoin intime de la highly productive collaboration of Charlotte Perriand with the Ateliers
collaboration extrmement fertile, entre Charlotte Perriand et les Ateliers Jean Prouv.
Jean Prouv.
Provenance:
Hpital mmorial France tats-Unis, Saint-L
Collection particulire, France
Bibliographie:
J. Barsac, Charlotte Perriand, Un art dhabiter,
ditions Norma, Paris, 2005. Plan de la table
reproduit p. 291
Cest son retour dAsie que le grand architecte dorigine amricaine, Pour Saint-L, avec ces huit mtres de longueur, le double plateau
Paul Nelson (1895 1979), retrouve Charlotte Perriand quil a croise souligne de faon spectaculaire la taille de la table et ajoute, allie un
de multiples reprises avant la guerre. Depuis de nombreuses annes, joint creux filant sur toute sa longueur, lgance et solennit.
Nelson poursuit des recherches sur larchitecture hospitalire dont Son pitement est, lui aussi, typique du travail de Perriand: russissant
la critique salue unanimement laudace. Cest donc tout naturellement la prouesse de ne poser cet imposant double plateau que sur quatre pieds,
quen 1947 il est charg, associ dautres architectes, de concevoir elle utilise ici des pieds oblongs en bois massif qui deviendront une de
Plan damnagement de lhpital mmorial France tats-Unis, Saint-L
lHpital mmorial France tats-Unis situ Saint-L. Dans cette ville ses signatures formelles. Solides mais discrets, ils disparaissent volontiers
Archives Hpital de Saint-L
compltement dvaste par les bombardements, ce btiment, financ sous le plateau dont il semble laisser flotter limposante surface,
par les fonds du plan Marshall prend des allures de symbole auquel il tels les navires croisant dans lOcan voisin. Ces pieds, on les retrouve
souhaite notamment associer Fernand Lger, pour la ralisation dune dans beaucoup de tables conues par Charlotte Perriand et ce, ds 1935,
grande fresque de mosaque et Charlotte Perriand pour son amnagement pour porter lpais plateau de bois de la table de salle manger dessine
intrieur. pour P. Gutmann. Ce sont ces mmes pieds qui seront utiliss plus tard
pour les tables dites forme libre dont la diffusion, par Steph Simon
Alors collaboratrice du Bureau dtude spcial de lentreprise ds 1959, assurera le succs. Le mme type de pitement sera galement
des Ateliers Moisant Laurent Savey, elle conoit entre 1947 et 1949, employ pour soutenir les bibliothques meublant les chambres des
lamnagement intrieur de lHpital et le mobilier des pices de tudiants de la Maison de la Tunisie, Paris, en 1952.
Prestige, dont cette importante et unique table de confrence dont
lbauche du profil, se retrouve dans le plan gnral sous le numro 62. Remeubl voil quelques annes, lHpital de Saint-L a d se dfaire
de cette imposante table. Rpute disparue, de nombreux et rudits
Sa dimension extraordinaire, qui permet dinstaller confortablement collectionneurs cherchaient, en vain, sa trace.
tous les membres du conseil de direction de ltablissement (soit 22
personnes), confre cette table un caractre extraordinaire. Nous lavons retrouve.
Cest aussi un tmoignage important de cette poque dans le travail de
Charlotte Perriand qui est marque par des commandes publiques Cette table, qui est sans doute la plus grande table jamais conue par
prestigieuses. En effet, cette mme priode, elle est appele concevoir Charlotte Perriand, donne la preuve de sa singulire capacit conjuguer
le mobilier du Palais des Nations, sige de lONU Genve. Que ce soit llgance dun dessin avec le respect dune fonction contraignante.
pour la salle VI, la salle du Conseil ou encore la spectaculaire salle des Ses dimensions hors-normes ne lempchent pas dtre majestueuse
Assembles, Charlotte Perriand utilise lingnieuse invention utilise pour et son poids de flotter au-dessus de ses pieds fusels, qui, sous certains
Saint-L savoir un double plateau permettant aux participants ces angles de vue, se drobent au regard.
runions dy ranger leurs notes et documents et de loger, dans le cas de
Genve, lappareillage audio et le cblage ncessaires lenregistrement Aujourdhui, cette table nous revient dans un tat proche de celui qui tait
et la traduction simultane des dbats. le sien lorsquelle quitta la salle du conseil dadministration de lHpital.
Ni le temps, ni les pripties dun long voyage, nont terni le fabuleux clat
Lingniosit de ce systme peut trouver, en 1957, sa justification dans de ce bois clair que Charlotte Perriand aimait travailler.
les contraintes techniques imposes par la fonction du mobilier des
Assembles de la prestigieuse institution, mais son invention est plus Rien de tout cela, en tous cas, na mouss sa force et sa majest.
prcoce puisqu on peut trouver la gense dans un projet dvelopp par
Charlotte Perriand, ds 1927, conserv dans ses archives sous le nom
Travail et Sport. Vue de lhpital mmorial France tats-Unis, Saint-L
Archives Hpital de Saint-L
Upon her return from Asia, the great American architect, Paul Nelson For Saint-L, the double tabletop, measuring 8 meters in length, underscored
(1895 1979) met with Charlotte Perriand whom he had encountered in spectacular fashion the unusual size of the table, while a hollow joint
on several prior occasions, before the war. For years, Nelson had conducted running along the entire length of the piece added elegance and solemnity.
research on the architecture and design of hospitals. His audacious work
had met with unanimous critical acclaim. In 1947, he was, naturally, The table base was also typical of Perriands work. To balance the imposing
put in charge of building the Franco-American Memorial Hospital tabletop on only four legs, she had used elongated, solid wood legs, the
in Saint-L. shape of which would later become one of her official signatures. Robust
but discreet, the legs disappeared under the surface of the imposing
In a city completed ravaged by wartime bombings, the building, financed tabletop that, in turn, appeared to float like a cruise ship on the Atlantic
by the Marshall Plan, had become something of a symbol. Nelsons wish Ocean nearby.
was to ask Fernand Lger to create a mosaic fresco and Charlotte Perriand
to implement the interior decoration. The same supporting legs were later seen in a number of other tables
designed by Perriand including, starting in 1935, those used as support
Perriand was at the time an associate in the Bureau dtude spcial for the thick wooden tabletop of the dining room table designed by P.
de lentreprise des Ateliers Moisant Laurent Savey, an engineering Gutmann. The same legs were also used on the Forme Libre (or Free
consulting firm. Between 1947 and 1949, she took on the interior decoration Form) tables, commercialized successfully by Steph Simon after 1959.
of the hospital, along with the design of furniture for its Prestige rooms. Finally, Perriand used the same legs for the bookshelves designed to
As part of those furnishings, she designed this important and one-of-a-kind furnish the student housing units of the Maison de la Tunisie (Tunisia
conference table. A sketch of a side view of the table can be seen on the House) in Paris in 1952.
general plan under number 62.
Newly refurnished a few years ago, the Memorial Hospital in Saint-L,
The tables extraordinary dimensions allowed the entire executive relinquished possession of this imposing table. Believed to have been lost,
board of the establishment, namely 22 persons, to be seated comfortably number of erudite collectors searched for it in vain.
around it, conferring upon the piece an unusual character. It was also
evidence of Perriands stature, who, in those days, was entrusted with We succeeded in locating it.
important public commissions. During the same period, she was asked
to design furniture for the United Nations building in Geneva. Whether This table, no doubt the largest one ever designed by Perriand, is evidence
she was designing for Room VI, for the boardroom, or for the spectacular UN of her singular capacity to marry the elegance of a design with respect for
Assembly room, Perriand would return to the clever invention she had functional constraints. Despite its outsized dimensions, the table remains Charlotte Perriand, Fernand Lger et Paul Nelson, 1948
used in Saint-L, namely a double tabletop that allowed participating majestic, its weight floating atop elongated legs that, viewed from certain Photo: Henrot Archives Charlotte Perriand / ADAGP
members to stow away their notes and documents, but also, as was the angles, seem to vanish completely from sight.
case in Geneva, to store the audio materials and cables needed for the
recording and simultaneous translation of debates. Today, this table comes to us in nearly pristine condition, similar to that
in which it left Saint-L Hospitals executive boardroom. The wonderful
The ingenuity of that system found its justification, in 1957, in the technical sheen of its light-colored wood, prized by Perriand, has not been tarnished,
requirements of functional furniture needed for the General Assembly either by the passage of the time or the trials of a long journey.
meetings held at the prestigious organization. But Perriands invention
predated that year, since she had already developed the genesis of the None of that, in any event, has dulled this tables force or majesty.
table as early as 1927, as can be observed in the records of a project stored
in her archives under the title Work and Sport.
Charlotte Perriand, table des dlgus pour une des salles du Palais des Nations, sige de lONU Genve, 1960
Archives de lOnu / Genve
Charlotte Perriand, premire table double plateau, projet: Travail et Sport, 1927
Archives Charlotte Perriand / ADAGP
Charlotte Perriand, table de confrence double plateau et pieds oblongs en bois massif pour le Palais des Nations, sige de lONU Genve, 1957
Archives de lOnu / Genve
Bibliographie:
F. Ferrari, Tutta la ceramica, ditions U.
Allemandi, Turin, 1996. Exemplaire vendu
reproduit en couleur p. 133 sous le numro 600
H. Hger, Ettore Sottsass Jr, ditions E.
Wasmuth, Berlin, 1993. Exemplaire vendu
reproduit en couleur p. 165
35 000 45 000
En 1961, Sottsass et sa compagne Fernanda Pivano font leur premier In 1961, Ettore Sottsass and his wife, Fernanda Pivano, traveled for
voyage en Inde. Il durera trois mois et deviendra le pivot de [leurs] the first time to India. The trip lasted three months and became a turning
vies. leur retour, Ettore est diagnostiqu dune grave maladie quil point in [their] lives. Upon their return, Sottsass was diagnosed with
loblige se faire soigner aux tats-Unis. 44 ans, hospitalis Palo Alto a grave illness that forced him to seek medical treatment in the United
en Californie, ses mdecins ne sont gure optimistes. Un extraordinaire States. At the age of 44, hospitalized in Palo Alto, California, Sottsasss
ressort de survie, aliment par une crativit toujours plus vive permettra prognosis was grim. An extraordinary life force, nourished by a effervescent
Sottsass daller au terme dun traitement prouvant durant lequel il creativity allowed Sottsass to complete a trying treatment during which
concevra, sur papier, les plus intimes de ses cramiques, les Ceramiche he conceived, on paper, some of his most intimate ceramics, titled Ceramiche
delle tenebre aux couleurs sourdes et inquitantes. delle Tenebre (or Darkness Ceramics), in muted, disturbing colors.
Aprs cet pisode sombre, cest toujours la cramique qui lui permet Following that dark episode, ceramics allowed him to celebrate his return
de clbrer son retour la vie avec les Omagio a Shiva , en 1964. to life with a series titled Omagio a Shiva in 1964. Dedicated to the Hindu
En hommage la desse indienne, symbole de rinvention et rincarnation, deity Shiva, symbol of regeneration and reincarnation, the series of 100
cette srie de 100 assiettes, toutes uniques et conues comme des plates, each one-of-a-kind and conceived like stand-alone paintings
tableaux, lui offre, avec des couleurs vives et des maux mtalliques, in bright colors and metallic enamel, was for Sottsass the chance to refine
loccasion daffiner son vocabulaire plastique et de suggrer de faon his artistic vocabulary and to suggest in a simple way, the idea of the
trs simple, lide du cosmos avec son rythme et ses saisons comme cosmos with its own rhythms and seasons, as the only environment that
tant le seul environnement qui ne soit ni mesurable, ni prvisible, ni cannot be measured, predicted, controlled or even studied.
contrlable ni mme tudiable.
This piece is part of that rare and mythical series that marks the resurrection
Cette pice fait partie de cette rare et mythique srie qui marque la of Sottsass and the pinnacle of his work with ceramics. It also reflects the
rsurrection de Sottsass et lapoge de son travail sur la cramique. importance of India as a source of inspiration that would last a lifetime.
Elle signe aussi limportance de lInde comme source dinspiration qui
lhabitera durant toute sa vie.
Lhistoire de Bracciodiferro est devenue presque lgendaire. Aldo Cichero, The story of Bracciodiferro has become virtually the stuff of legends.
architecte naval, fabriquait galement du mobilier en alliage lger pour Aldo Cichero, a naval architect, also made furniture out of lightweight
les bateaux de plaisance quil concevait: pices daccastillage, lampes etc. alloys for the pleasure boats he conceived: deck fittings, lamps, etc. In
En 1972, alli Cesare Cassina, il cre Bracciodiferro (Bras de fer), une 1972, partnering with Cassina, he founded Bracciodiferro (literally,
aventure sans concession et utopique entirement voue au Design qui Iron Arm), an adventure entirely devoted to Design that lasted a mere
ne durera que 4 annes durant lesquelles les projets les plus ambitieux four years but during which number of highly innovative projects were
virent le jour. Dans cette histoire, seulement deux designers collaboreront executed. In that story, only two designers ever collaborated with the
avec lditeur: Allessandro Mendini et Gaetano Pesce. Ce dernier dessina furniture producer: Alessandro Mendini and Gaetano Pesce. The latter
dabord le logo de la socit, dont les lettres gothiques exprimaient la initially designed the companys logo, in gothic-style letters that conveyed
rupture par rapport llgant Style International qui domine lunivers a break with the elegant international style that dominated the market
visuel de lpoque. at the time.
La premire pice sortie des ateliers Bracciodiferro Gnes, sera The first piece to come out of the Bracciodiferro studios in Genoa would
la hauteur du tour de force annonc: une lampe de bureau gante, live up to the tour de force foretold: a towering floor lamp, an extrapolation
extrapolation dune lampe darchitecte alors trs rpandue, la L1 (1937) of the then-widespread architect lamps, the L-1 (1937) designed by
dessine par J. Jacobsen pour Luxo. De cette multiplication par 4 de cette Jac Jacobsen for Luxo. Four times its size, in a combination of bronze,
dimension, allie lemploi du bronze, de laluminium et de lacier, rsulte aluminum and steel, the impressive object was named after the ancient
un objet impressionnant dont le nom est puis dans la bible et qui dsigne Ammonite god to whom, according to Biblical texts, certain Levantine
le dieu des Ammonites qui recevait les sacrifices denfants: Moloch. tribes sacrificed children by fire: Moloch.
Si les dimensions presque menaantes de lobjet semble tes revendiques If its ominous dimensions vindicated its name, for his part, Pesce viewed
par son nom, Pesce, quant lui, y voit tout dabord une lampe utile pour the object initially as a lamp functional for big spaces.
les grands espaces!
Market realities, however, would rapidly catch up with Bracciodiferros
La ralit du march rattrapera rapidement les ambitions de Bracciodiferro. ambitions. Its plans to manufacture 100 lamps were scaled down to some
Ayant prvu de fabriquer 100 Moloch, il y en et, finalement quune dizaine ten pieces actually made. Hampered by a highly complex manufacturing
de fabriques. Handicape par une fabrication extrmement soigne process and a prohibitive price, the Moloch in the end managed to seduce
mais complexe et un prix dissuasif, la Moloch ne parvient sduire que only a limited number of institutions (including the MOMA in 1972
quelques grandes collections publiques (dont celles du MoMA ds 1972 et and later the Centre Pompidou) and few avant-guardist international
plus tard du Centre Pompidou) et une poigne collectionneurs avant-gardiste collectors. As the first ready-made in the history of design, the Moloch
et clairs. Premier ready-made de lhistoire du design, la Moloch est has become a mythical piece whose high-quality production and rarity
devenue une pice mythique dont la fabrication prcieuse et la raret shed light on the creative utopia on which Bracciodiferro was founded,
illustre lutopie crative lorigine de Bracciodiferro, qui cessa son activit and whose activity came to end in 1974.
en 1974.
Bibliographie:
D. Sudjic, Ron Arad, ditions Laurence King,
Londres, 1999. Exemplaire vendu reproduit
en couleur p. 32 in situ dans le One Off Studio
de Shelton Street en 1989
D. Sudjic, Ron Arad, Restless Furniture,
ditions Rizzoli, New York, 1989. Modle
similaire reproduit en couleur pp. 106 et 107
Ron Arad Sticks and Stones, One offs & short
runs 1980-1990, Gebrauchsskulpturen aus
Stahl, Catalogue de lexposition du Vitra Design
Museum, Weil am Rhein, 1990. Modle similaire
reproduit en couleur p. 79
Le Big Easy Volume 2, cr en 1989, est, les annes passant devenu le fil The Big Easy Volume 2 Chair, designed in 1989, has become over time,
rouge de la cration de Ron Arad. On en compte une petite dizaine de versions the thread that runs through the production of Ron Arad. About ten versions
que Ron Arad imaginera partir de son dessin original. of the chair were conceived by the designer, all based on the same original
sketch.
Pratique en matire plastique rsistant aux intempries, domestique
tapiss de drap de laine, technique en fibre de carbone, parfait et Endlessly reinterpreting his own mythical design, seen by some as a
sans dfaut en acier poli miroir... il ne cessera de dcliner cette forme reference to the 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the shin, Arad made a
dsormais mythique que certains interprteront comme une citation practical version in weatherproof plastic materials, a household version
de la 21e lettre de lalphabet hbreux, le shin. upholstered in woolen fabric, a highly technical version in fiberglass,
a perfectly flawless version in stainless steel.
Pourtant, ds lorigine, dans son atelier-galerie One Off, ce fauteuil
est conu comme une fantaisie partir du fauteuil club. Loin des Still, from the outset, the armchair was conceived in One-Off, his studio-
significations cabalistiques, Arad est alors le Deus ex Machina dun gallery, as a fantasy derived from the traditional club chair. Far from
Raymond Guidot, Un langage des formes aux sources de lcriture hbraque.
atelier o le mtal est son partenaire et parfois son adversaire. Cest arm seeking to convey cabalistic meaning, Arad had positioned himself In R. Guidot, Ron Arad, ditions Dis Voir, Paris, reproduit p. 53
dun chalumeau et de puissants instruments quil dompte ce matriau as the Deus ex Machina of a workshop where metal was, in turn, his ally
rsistant. La cration du Big Easy Volume 2, en 1989, est sa premire and rival. Armed with a blowtorch and other powerful tools, he would
victoire sur lacier. Il parvient lui donner une forme sensuelle et une gradually tame that resistant material. The design of Big Easy Volume 2,
ergonomie surprenante. 1989, was his first victory over steel as he succeeded in fashioning it into
a sensual shape with surprising ergonomics.
Le fauteuil que nous prsentons est issue de cette premire srie, artisanale,
fabrique de ses mains durant seulement quelques mois avant quArad ne The armchair presented here was part of the very first, artisanal series,
prfre les finitions parfaites que des technologies nouvelles offrent son produced by Ron Arad, in his own hands and in only a few weeks, before
imagination. he opted for the perfect finish made possible by new technologies.
Chaque parcelle de ce fauteuil revendique cette gestation virile, ce combat Every inch of this armchair epitomizes a highly virile gestation, a battle
entre cet homme puissant et les plaques dacier. Au terme de la lutte, between man and steel. At the end of the struggle, once the piece
une fois la pice termine, Arad signe son forfait. Il le signe du nom de son completed, Arad appended the name of his studio to his feat: One Off.
atelier : One Off. Ce qui signifie: pice unique.
Lhistoire de la Potence nat en 1939 lorsque Jean Prouv est appel, aux The story of the Swing-Jib Wall Light began in 1939 when Jean Prouv
cts de Pierre Jeanneret et Charlotte Perriand, construire des pavillons was asked to collaborate with Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand in
dhabitation pour les collaborateurs dune usine Issoire, en Auvergne. building a series of freestanding homes for factory workers in Issoire, in
the French region of Auvergne.
Dans ces btiments construits en un temps record, effort de guerre oblige,
une potence dclairage, toute droite, est dessine pour clairer les espaces. The structures were built in record time given the imminent World War.
Cest ce mme principe, dun bras pivotant fix au mur soutenu par un fil For their indoor lighting, a bracket was designed, shooting straight out
dacier portant une ampoule, que Prouv dcline pour son usage personnel. of the wall. Prouv would apply the same principle of a pivoting arm
affixed to the wall supported by a steel cable holding up a light bulb for
La potence que nous prsentons provient de la famille Prouv o elle fut his personal lighting needs.
conserve ds sa sortie des Ateliers de Maxville. Avec ses 2,50 mtres
de longueur, cest la plus grande taille fabrique par Jean Prouv partir The Swing-Jib Wall Light presented in this sale had remained in the home
de 1947. of the Prouv family where it was shipped direct from the Ateliers Jean
Prouv in Maxville. Two and a half meters in length, it is the largest of
Dun noir profond et dune envergure exceptionnelle, cette pice tmoigne its kind produced by Jean Prouv after 1947.
galement de lextrme soucis de simplicit, de dpouillement et de
fonctionnalit qui animait Jean Prouv. In a deep black color and featuring a large wingspan, the piece reflects
the designers affinity for simplicity, minimalism and functionality.
Bibliographie:
M. Kper et I. van Zijl, Gerrit Rietveld, the
complete works, ditions Centraal Museum
Utrecht, Utrecht, 1992. Modles similaires
reproduits p. 144 et suivantes
Coll., 100 chefs duvre de la collection du Vitra
Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, 1996. Modle
similaire reproduit p.112
Scoprire il design, La Collezione Alexander
Von Vegesack, Catalogue de lexposition de la
Fondazione Pinacoteca G. e D. Agnelli du 20
mars au 6 juillet 2008, ditions Electa, Milan, 2008.
Modle similaire reproduit en couleur p. 168
Chairs, Catalogue of the Delft Faculty
of Architecture Collection, ditions Olo,
Rotterdam, 2008. Modle similaire reproduit
en couleur p. 214
12 000 15 000
Ligne brise formant des angles alternativement saillants et rentrants, A broken line forming angles alternatively jutting in and out, the
nous dit le dictionnaire. En effet, la seule vocation de son nom, dictionary tells us. The mere evocation of its name conjures up its shape.
on imagine sa forme. Une chaise, dessine dun trait, bris, formant des A chair, drawn in a single uninterrupted line, broken, forming angles.
angles. Ctait dailleurs en quelques sorte le programme de Rietveld: In some ways, that was Rietvelds program: to draw a quintessentially
dessiner une pice pure, synthse la plus parfaite entre sa forme et sa pure piece, a synthesis of the perfect union between form and function,
fonction, ne contenant aucun espace mais le dcoupant, le dlimitant par and one that did not enclose space but sliced and defined space using
quatre plans successifs: un pour le dossier, lassise, le pitement et la base. four consecutive flat tiles: one each for the seatback, the seat, the leg and
the base.
Aprs quelques prototypes alliant bois et mtal en 1932 et une premire
version en bois courb quelques annes plus tard, Rietveld se rendit After several prototypes in 1932 that combined wood and metal and
lvidence: une version faite de 4 pices de bois assembles est la plus a version in curved wood some years later, one thing became overwhelmingly
convaincante. Cest donc ainsi, quelle sera produite ds 1935 par Metz&Co clear to Rietveld: a version with four wooden assembled pieces would
et Van de Groenekan qui son fidle collaborateur de 1918 sa mort. be most convincing. Accordingly, starting in 1935, the piece was produced
by Metz & Co. and Van de Groenekan, Rietvelds faithful associate from
La chaise que nous prsentons est issue de cette dition originale, produite 1918 until his death.
dans les annes 1950. Une srie mythique tant elle marqua une rupture
radicale dans lhistoire du mobilier au point de devenir une icne du The chair presented here was part of that original production, from the
design. En effet, le dessin de la Zig Zag est si minimal et sa construction 1950s. A mythical series that marked a radical break with the history of
si conome, que mme les rivets renforant lassise placs tous les 4 cm furniture to the point of becoming an icon of Design. In fact, the design
semblent purement dcoratifs! of the Zig Zag Chair is so minimalistic and its assembly so economical
that the rivets used every 4 centimeters to reinforce the seat appear to be
Cette chaise, dans son tat dorigine et prsentant une patine exceptionnelle, merely decorative.
a une autre qualit que seul lacqureur pourra contempler: son tiquette
originale, un peu jaunie par le temps, encore colle sous lassise This chair, in original condition and exhibiting an exceptional patina,
has another feature that only the winning bidder can gaze upon:
its original sticker, slightly yellowed over time, still glued under the seat
Provenance:
Claude et Franois-Xavier Lalanne, Les Ury
Galerie La Hune, Paris
Acquis auprs de cette dernire par les actuels
propritaires
Exposition:
Les Lalanne, Muse des Arts Dcoratifs, Paris
du 17 mars au 4 juillet 2010
Bibliographie:
B. Salmon (dir), Les Lalanne, catalogue
dexposition, ditions Les Arts Dcoratifs, Paris,
2010. Exemplaire vendu reproduit en couleur
pp. 68, 69 et 77
50 000 80 000
Cuivre, laiton, bronze, vermeil, cuir ou porcelaine... voil les matriaux Copper, brass, bronze, vermeil, leather or porcelain those are the
de prdilection des Lalanne, dont le travail a marqu les arts dcoratifs materials of choice used by Les Lalanne, whose work has left its mark
du XXe sicle. mi-chemin entre la sculpture et le design, Franois-Xavier on the decorative arts of the 20th century. Midway between sculptors and
et Claude Lalanne ont su imposer un vocabulaire merveilleux et potique designers, Franois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne successfully formulated
au moment o un langage abstrait et minimaliste rvolutionnait lhistoire a fantastical and poetic vocabulary at a time when abstraction and
de lart. minimalism were revolutionizing art history.
Au sein de son uvre, les pices en marbre de F.-X. Lalanne restent rares. Within his uvre, the marble pieces remain a rarity. The earliest ones
Les premires sortent en 1974 de son atelier des Ury, aux environs were produced in 1974 in his studio at Ury, outside of Paris. They
de Paris. Il sagit dun ensemble de fauteuils et une table basse nomms consisted of a series of armchairs and a coffee table titled Marble Bird,
Oiseau de marbre qui seront dits plusieurs exemplaires. later produced in multiples.
Mais cest un travail plus intime qui est lorigine de la table que It was, however, a more intimate process that produced the coffee table
nous prsentons. Paralllement sa sculpture, Franois-Xavier poursuit presented here. In tandem with his sculptures, Franois-Xavier had
un exigeant travail de dessin jusqualors indit. Un ami du couple, pursued a demanding practice of drawing that was until then unseen.
Bernard Gheerbrant, fondateur de La Hune et grand diteur destampes A friend of the couple, Bernard Gheerbrant, founder of La Hune bookstore
convainc Franois-Xavier dditer un portfolios de ces derniers dessins. and renowned publisher of prints, convinced Franois-Xavier to produce
Ce sera loccasion de la toute jeune Fiac, que la Hune prsentera a portfolio of his recent drawings. In the early years of the FIAC, La
dans sa galerie de la rue de lAbbaye le prcieux recueil de 16 lithographies. Hune presented a precious collection of 16 lithographs at its gallery
En plus de cette exposition, La Hune invite le couple prsenter, sur located on the rue de lAbbaye. In addition to that show, La Hune invited
le stand de sa Galerie la Fiac, des pices rcentes et uniques. the couple to show a selection of one-of-a-kind pieces on the stand of the
Pour Franois-Xavier Lalanne, cette double exposition est un vnement gallery at the FIAC. For Franois-Xavier Lalanne, this double feature
exceptionnel: non seulement son uvre graphique est expose au public was a truly extraordinary opportunity: not only were his sketches shown
pour la premire fois, mais en plus, ses pices vont voisiner avec celles to the public for the first time, but his sculptural pieces were presented
de grands artistes internationaux. Face limportance de lenjeu, alongside those of great international artists. Because the stakes were
le couple choisira les pices les plus fortes et indites pour le stand sky-high, the couple had selected the strongest and most original pieces
de la Hune soit un ne-chiffonnier, un grand hippopotame-bar, un lapin for the gallerys booth, namely a donkey-shaped chest of drawers, a large
girouette et notre table basse Oiseau de marbre qui accompagnent un Hippopotamus-bar, a rabbit weather vane and this bird coffee table, along
ensemble de bijoux en or imagin par Claude. with a collection of gold jewelry designed by Claude.
La majestueuse silhouette de marbre qui semble voler se dtache du sol The majestic marble bird silhouette, ostensibly in flight as it stood out
sombre du stand et frappe lil dun couple de collectionneurs qui la against the dark floor of the stand, caught the eyes of a collector couple
rserve aussitt. Un coup de foudre pour cette pice unique dont les ailes that immediately asked for the piece to be reserved. It was love at first
sculptes en doucine dans le marbre et la tte, flottant au bout dun cou sight as the one-of-a-kind piece stood apart from the multiples with its
forg dans le mtal, la distingue du modle de srie qui lui, fut ralis en ogee-carved marble wings and its head seemingly floating at the tip of
plusieurs exemplaires. Quelques jours plus tard, loiseau rejoindra le salon a wrought-iron neck. A few days later, the bird had joined the couples
chaleureux du couple o il dialoguera, des dcennies durant, avec dautres cozy living room where it would dialogue, for decades to come, with
sculptures signes Csar ou Arman et sera le tmoin de discussions other sculptures signed Csar or Arman and bear witness to erudite
rudites nourries par la lecture des prcieux ouvrages rangs dans la conversations nourished by the reading of precious books stored on a
bibliothque voisine. nearby bookshelf.
Lameublement du rfectoire de la cit Universitaire Jean-Zay dAntony The furniture of the dining hall of the Cit Universitaire Jean-Zay
tait rythm par linstallation de ces tables Centrale, communment in Antony near Paris was rhythmically punctuated by central tables
appeles tables Trapze. commonly known as Trapze.
Produite en moins dune dizaine dexemplaires et dote dun plateau Produced in limited numbers, fewer than ten, with a tabletop reduced in
la largeur rduite (70 cm), ces tables taient destines accueillir les width to 70 cms, the Trapze tables were intended to be used by the students.
tudiants.
At one end of the dining hall, away from the noisy students, Jean Prouv
Mais au bout du rfectoire, lcart du bruit des tudiants, Jean Prouv had also set up a table for university professors. Featuring a wider,
prvoit une table pour les professeurs. Une table dont le plateau bnficie more confortable tabletop (80 cms in width), that version of the Trapze
dune largeur plus confortable leur permettant ainsi de djeuner face face. allowed face-to-face seating. Still, only one such version of the Trapze
Il ny eu quun seul exemplaire de cette table produit dans ces dimensions table, with largers proportions, was ever made. It was acquired in 1983
(80 cm de largeur) et elle fut acquise par un rudit collectionneur, by Jean-Claude Kraftchik, an erudite collector, directly from Crous
en 1983, directement auprs du Crous. (or Centre Rgional des uvres Universitaires et Scolaires), administrator
of student housing.
La facture originale que nous dlivrerons lacqureur de cette table
souligne lintrt et la connaissance prcoce que M. Jean-Claude Kraftchik The original invoice for this table, available to the winning bidder,
porte au travail de Jean Prouv. Il sait dj que ces tables Trapze underscores both Kraftchiks interest in, and his precocious knowledge of,
sont sans doute la cration la plus emblmatique de Jean Prouv dont Jean Prouvs work.
loriginalit rside dans son pitement sculptural.
In 1983, he must have sensed that the Trapze, with its highly original
En 1983, il sait aussi que ce qui rend cette table si exceptionnelle, cest sculptural base, would become one of Jean Prouvs most iconic creations.
sans doute le caractre surdimensionn de ce pitement quaucune He must have also seen that what makes the Trapze truly exceptional is
contrainte physique nimpose et sa forme bombe qui voque la passion its large base, made oversized independent of any physical constraints
de Prouv pour laronautique. and designed with slightly bulging, canted legs to evoke Prouvs passion
for aeronautics.
Jean-Claude Kraftchik sait tout cela, avant les autres et, il rpond
favorablement au Crous qui dcide de remplacer ces tables lentretien Kraftchik must also have known all this before everyone else, which
compliqu. Il sera donc charg denlever ces tables, toutes identiques. explains today why he responded favorably when the Crous announced
Avant de partir, on lui signalera quil en reste une, presque cache au fond its intention to replace these tables it found too difficult to maintain.
du rfectoire. Cest la dernire, et ses dimensions sont majestueuses. Accordingly, Kraftchik was tasked with removing the identical, smaller
Cest celle des professeurs et cest la table quil a conserv, depuis plus sideboard Trapze tables from the universitys dining hall. Before leaving,
de 30 ans, pour sa propre salle manger. however, he was asked to include the last remaining piece the professors
table hidden at the end of the dining hall. That final piece had majestic
Cette table est donc unique. Elle lest dun point de vue historique et dimensions. For the next thirty years, it would live in Jean-Claude
scientifique, tant son dessin est original et innovant. Elle lest aussi car sa Kraftchiks own dining room.
dcouverte marque sans doute le dbut de lhistoire du march du Design.
Unique et historique. The Trapze in this sale is truly unique, from both a historic and
scientific perspective: its design is original and innovative; its discovery
undoubtedly marks the starting point of the history of the design market.
Unique and historic.
BIBLIOTHQUE dite
MAISON DU MEXIQUE 1952
Pitement original en bton, recouvert
de cramique et platine de fixation dacier
laqu noir, plots en aluminium laqu, portes
coulissantes en aluminium pointe de diamant
laqu, tablettes en bois verni
Fabrication Ateliers Jean Prouv pour les plots
et les portes
Fabrication Andr Chetaille pour les tagres
156 184 32 cm
Provenance:
Rsidence Maison du Mexique de la Cit
Universitaire, Paris
Collection particulire, Paris
Bibliographie:
M. McLeod, Charlotte Perriand, an art of
living, ditions Abrams, New York, 2003. Modle
similaire reproduit en couleur in situ, avec son
pitement original, p. 230
MUDE n00, Catalogue de lexposition du Museo
do Design et da Moda de Lisbonne, ditions
MUDE, Lisbonne, 2004. Modle similaire
reproduit en couleur (non pagin)
Luxo, Pop & Cool de 1937 at hoje, ditions
Museo do Design, Lisbonne, 1999. Modle
similaire reproduit en couleur sous le numro 20
(non pagin)
Jean Prouv, ditions Galeries Jousse Seguin
Enrico Navarra, Paris, 1998. Modle similaire
reproduit in situ en noir et blanc p. 152
Cest une icne. Presque un symbole de ce que fut le Design, en France, This is an icon. Almost a symbol of what Design once was, in France, in
dans les annes 1950. Libre, colore, optimiste, porte par la reconstruction the 1950s. Free, colorful, optimistic, carried by a spirit of reconstruction
et la curiosit des voyages lointains, la cration de Charlotte Perriand and a curiosity for far-away journeys, the creativity of Charlotte Perriand
trouve ici, avec la complicit des Ateliers Jean Prouv, toute son ingniosit found here, with the complicity of the Ateliers Jean Prouv, all of its
plastique et fonctionnelle. Conue comme une cloison entre la salle deau artistic and functional ingenuity. Conceived as a roomdivider between
et la partie couchage des chambres de la Maison du Mexique de la Cit the bathroom side and the sleeping quarters of the rooms in Mexico
universitaire, cette bibliothque tait solidement arrime au sol par des House at the Cit Universitaire, this bookshelf was solidly secured to the
pieds de bton, recouverts de carreaux de cramiques (identiques ceux floor with concrete legs, covered with ceramic tiles (identical to those
qui recouvraient le sol du coin) et qui taient chapots par une platine on the bathroom floor) and topped by a metal frame that allowed the
mtallique qui permettait la bibliothque dtre la fois stable bookshelf to be at once stable and perfectly braced.
et parfaitement contrevente.
In the 1980s, a project to renovate the furniture in the rooms called for
Au cours des annes 1980, une rnovation du mobilier des chambres exige the dismantling of the original bookshelves. Dismantled in haste, they
le dmontage des bibliothques originales. Dmontes la hte, elles furent were separated from their original concrete supports before being moved.
estropies et dmnages.
Thus, the bookshelves began a new existence, quickly becoming objects
Ainsi, ces bibliothques dbutrent une nouvelle vie et devinrent rapidement highly coveted by major Design collectors. Despite being perched on
lobjet de la convoitise des plus grands collectionneurs de Design. Bien invented curved wooden legs, too high and narrow to be stable, and most
que juches sur un pitement de bois galb de pure invention, trop haut of all, that distorted the proportions required by Perriand, the Mexico
et trop troit pour tre stable et, surtout, faussant les proportions voulues bookshelf quickly became one of the icons of 20th century design.
par Perriand, la bibliothque Mexique de Charlotte Perriand devint
rapidement un icne du design du XXe sicle. At the end of 2014, Mexico House asked Artcurials to help in its efforts
to restore its movable heritage on the occasion of a complete renovation of
Fin 2014, la Maison du Mexique sollicite Artcurial pour laccompagner the House. On that occasion, a worksite visit was arranged. The demolition
dans la restauration de son patrimoine mobilier loccasion de la rnovation phase was then well underway on the first two floors and, escaping
complte de la Maison. cette occasion, une visite du chantier est the noise and dust, we visited the few rooms on the third floor that had
organise. La phase de dmolition est alors bien entame aux deux premiers remained intact. Upon opening the door, we discovered the original blocks
tages et, fuyant le bruit et la poussire, nous visitons les quelques chambres of the Mexico bookshelf, fated to be razed by jackhammers.
du troisime tage encore intactes. En ouvrant la porte, nous dcouvrons
les plots originaux de la bibliothque Mexique, vous tre rass The bookshelf presented here is therefore unique in that it reinstates the
par les marteau-piqueurs. scientific accuracy of the masterpiece created by Charlotte Perriand,
restoring its proportions, its stability, its function as a roomdivider and
La bibliothque que nous prsentons ici est donc indite et dune extrme its original color scheme making the sale of this piece truly historic.
raret car elle restitue dans sa vrit scientifique ce chef duvre de
Charlotte Perriand, rtablissant ses proportions et sa stabilit, sa fonction
de cloison et sa chromie originale
La vente de cette pice est historique.
Cest en 1851, la foire universelle de Londres, que lditeur Thonet It was in 1851, at the London World Fair, that Thonet first met with
rencontre le succs. Lengouement pour ses meubles en bois courb est success. Enthusiasm for his curved wood furniture was such that Michael
tel que Michael Thonet, install Vienne, doit dacheter une machine Thonet, then based in Vienna, was forced to purchase a steam engine to
vapeur pour augmenter sa production et honorer ces commandes et en increase his production in order to meet public demand. By 1921, Thonet
1921, Thonet devient le plus important fabricant de meuble au monde. had become the worlds most important furniture maker. Very popular,
Trs populaires, ces meubles sont aussi adopts par la nouvelle gnration his furniture soon became a favorite of the new generation of architects,
des architectes dont Le Corbusier qui choisit dans le catalogue Thonet including Le Corbusier, who selected pieces from the Thonet catalogue to
les modles pour meubler son Pavillon de lEsprit Nouveau, en 1925. furnish his Pavillon de lEsprit Nouveau (or Pavilion of the New Spirit)
Mais une rvolution est en cours et le grand architecte charge Charlotte in 1925. But a revolution was underway and the great architect assigned
Perriand de la mettre en uvre. En effet, il souhaite disposer dune ligne Charlotte Perriand with the task of implementing it. His wish was to
de mobilier rsolument moderne, adapte ses espaces. Pour Perriand, propose a line of furniture that was resolutely modern and adapted to
lemploi du tube dacier est une vidence tant il sinscrit dans la rupture his new interiors. For Perriand, the choice of the steel pipe became self-
souhaite par Le Corbusier de larchtype du mobilier classique. En evident, inasmuch as it embodied the clear break sought by Le Corbusier
1927, les premiers croquis dune Chaise longue basculante sont lancs with the archetypes of classic furniture.
ainsi que des premiers prototypes. Deux ans plus tard, cette chaise fait In 1927, the first sketches of the Reclining Chaise Longue were produced
son apparition au Salon dAutomne, elle est produite par Thonet Frres, along with the first prototypes. Two years later, when the Chaise made its
la filiale franaise de Thonet qui voit, dans cette collection de meuble, appearance at the Salon dAutomne, it was produced by Thonet Frres,
une possible (et rentable) opportunit pour remplacer les meubles en bois the French subsidiary of Thonet, for whom the new furniture collection
courb dont la demande sessouffle. was a potentially profitable way out of its curved wood furniture
Pour la premire fois, le grand public dcouvre du mobilier mtallique production for which demand had waned.
conu pour lhabitation. Il exprimente galement le grand confort et For the very first time, the general public would lay eyes on metal
lergonomie indite de cette chaise longue, en deux parties distinctes et furniture designed for the home. It would, at the same time, experience
qui offre mille possibilits dinclinaison. the great comfort and ergonomically original design of the Chaise
Longue, made of two separate parts and offering myriad possibilities of
Propose au catalogue Thonet ds 1930, cette ligne de mobilier ne reclining positions.
remporte pas le succs escompt. Trs coteuse produire, elle ncessite
un grand nombre dopration manuelles qui rendent possible toutes Available in the Thonet Catalogue starting in 1930, that line of furniture
sortes de commandes spciales. Cest le cas de notre pice, issue de la did not meet with the success expected. Highly costly to produce, the
excution srie dont les tendeurs taient incorpors au tissu. Ici, son Chaise Longue required numerous manual operations that justified all
pitement a t rehauss de quelques centimtres, certainement la sorts of special orders. That was the case of the Chaise Longue in this
demande du client, ce qui en fait une pice unique au sein de cette petite sale, which was part of the execution serie of which the straps were
production originale. incorporated into the fabric. Here, the base of the chair was raised by a
few centimeters, surely a special request by the client, a detail that makes
Aprs 6 ans dexploitation, cette chaise longue disparat du catalogue this piece one-of-a-kind within an already small original production.
Thonet et le modle est abandonn en 1938.
Six years later, the Chaise Longue had disappeared from the Thonet
Quelques dcennies plus tard, produite par Cassina, la chaise longue catalogue, and the model was discarded in 1938.
basculante, rebaptise LC4, deviendra une icne du design moderne.
Several decades later, the Reclining Chaise Longue, produced by Cassina
and baptized anew as the LC4, became an icon of modern design.
Marc Newson cre des formes pures et fluides. De lApple Watch (sa dernire Marc Newson creates shapes, pure and fluid. From the Apple Watch (his
cration) la clbre Lockheed Lounge (sa premire pice, en 1986), latest creation) to the famous Lockheed Lounge (his first piece, dated
Newson a toujours mouss les angles et faonn des courbes la fois 1986), Newson has always softened angles and shaped curves that are at
ergonomiques et fonctionnelles. once ergonomically pleasing and functional.
Le designer australien se fait remarquer ds sa premire exposition, The Australian designer instantly attracted the publics attention with his
en 1986 avec sa toute premire pice, la Lockheed Lounge, mridienne very first exhibition, in 1986, in which he showed the Lockheed Lounge,
tapisse de plaques daluminium rivetes. Ce premier succs lenvoie a daybed covered with riveted sheet aluminum. After that initial success,
Tokyo o il sinstalle avant son arrive Paris, en 1991 o il installe son he settled in Tokyo before moving to Paris in 1991 and opening a studio.
studio. Bien quoccup la cration de nombreux modles (dont les clbres Though busy designing new models (including the famous Embryo and
chaises Embryo et Felt), il continue travailler sur un perfectionnement Felt chairs), he often returned to the Lockheed whose initial version had
du Lockheed Lounge, dont la premire version lui laisse un got dinachev: left him with a taste of the unfinished. The shape of the Orgone Stretch
La forme de lOrgone Lounge est celle dont je rvais lorsque jai fait Lounge is the one I was striving for when I made the Lockheed Lounge,
la Lockheed mais, cette poque, je nen avais ni la capacit ni les moyens but in those days, I didnt have the knowledge or the resources to make it,
reconnaitra-t-il. Cest ainsi quen 1993, il renouera avec le travail Newson admitted.
de laluminium pour donner vie lOrgone Stretch Lounge. Une forme In 1993, Newson returned to aluminum to give life to the Orgone Lounge,
purifie rendue possible par la rencontre dun savoir-faire unique au in a purified form made possible thanks to a universally unique know-
monde. Si sa surface se distingue de la Lockheed Lounge, sa construction how. If its surface was different from that of the Lockheed, the structure
sen rapproche puisque sa surface futuriste est obtenue par la patiente of the Orgone come close to that of its predecessor given that the Orgones
superposition de fines feuilles daluminium de 1.6 mm dpaisseur. futuristic surface resulted from the painstaking superimposing of thin
Un travail dorfvre qui ncessite des jours de ponage mticuleux. layers of aluminum, 1.6 mm in thickness: a proud work of craftsmanship
that necessitated several of days of meticulous sanding.
Cest l laccomplissement du travail de Newson et le perfectionnement
ultime de la Lockheed Lounge dont il regrettait, lui-mme, laspect The Orgone Stretch Lounge was a job well done by Newson who had thus
fait main. Pour lOrgone Stretch Lounge, il russit la prouesse de crer attained the ultimate perfection that had evaded him with the Lockheed,
une pice de science-fiction en mettant en uvre des savoir-faire traditionnels a piece whose man-made quality he regretted. With the Orgone Lounge,
au service de son imagination sans limites. he had succeeded in creating a science-fictional piece by putting
traditional know-how at the service of his boundless imagination.
Bibliographie:
D. Sudjic, Ron arad, ditions Laurence King,
Londres, 1999. Pice de la srie reproduite
pp. 124 et 125
M. Collings & R. Arad, Ron Arad talks to
Matthew Collings about designing chairs,
vases, buildings and..., ditions Phadon,
Londres, 2004. Pice de la srie reproduite en
couleur p. 66
Ron Arad Sticks and Stones, One offs & short
runs 1980-1990, Gebrauchsskulpturen aus
Stahl, Catalogue de lexposition du Vitra Design
Museum, Weil am Rhein, 1990. Pice de la srie
reproduite en couleur p. 122
Ron Arad Associates, One Off Three, ditions
Artemis, Londres, 1993. Pice de la srie
reproduite en couleur p. 54
P. Antonelli, Ron Arad, No Discipline, Catalogue
de lexposition du MoMA du 2 aot au 19
octobre 2009, New York, 2009. Pice de la srie
reproduite en couleur p. 34
Dont judge a book by its cover le clbre proverbe britannique nous Dont judge a book by its cover The famous British idiom says it just
le rpte: lhabit ne fait pas le moine et cest sans doute en pensant cette as well: The clothes dont make the man, and it is surely with this maxim
maxime, que Ron Arad a baptis cette srie de chaises Chair by its cover. in mind that Ron Arad baptized his series, Chair by its cover.
Son principe est simple: pourquoi crer une nouvelle chaise alors quil The principle was simple enough: why design a chair when so many exist
en existe tant? limage de Gaetano Pesce et de sa lampe Moloch (lot 5), already? Not unlike Gaetano Pesce and his Moloch Lamp (lot 5), Ron
Ron Arad prouve ici quun ready-made est aussi possible en Design. Il Arad would prove that a ready-made was possible in Design. He chose 20
choisit 20 chaises, toutes diffrentes. Quelles soient dessines par de chairs, each different. Whether signed by a famous name or anonymous,
grands designers ou anonymes, il leur construit, la mesure de chacune, each chair was enrobed in a fitted steel case. The steel casing was dark
une enveloppe dacier dans laquelle la chaise sinstalle. Lacier est sombre and ominous on the outside, mirror-polished on the inside.
et menaant lextrieur, poli miroir lintrieur.
That carapace, with its erratic contours and rough soldering, was typical
Cette carapace aux contours heurts et aux soudures rugueuses est of Arads production in the 1980s during which time he also ran the
typique de la production des annes 1980, lorsquil animait son atelier- One Off gallery in Covent Garden and personally executed each of the
galerie One off Covent Garden et quil excutait, lui-mme, toutes les pieces he designed. Like an armor, it appeared to protect the original
pices quil concevait. A la manire dune armure, elle semble protger chair it encased. Mostly, it contributed to creating a whole new chair,
la chaise originale quelle entoure mais, avant tout elle participe la imaginary and fleeting: a diffracted chair created by the reflection of the
cration dune nouvelle chaise, imaginaire et fugace: la chaise difracte mirror-polished steel.
cre par la rflexion sur la surface dinox poli.
Mysterious icons rarely exhibited, the pieces in the series Chair by its
Icnes mystrieuses et trs peu exposes, les pices de cette srie Chair cover mark a turning point in Ron Arads career, so much so that
by its cover marquent un tournant dans la carrire de Ron Arad tel in 1991, he used the same idea for his new studio on Chalk Farm Road
point quil dclinera cette ide pour la construction, en 1991, de son in London. To extend the idea behind the series, he would tack onto the
nouveau studio, Chalk Farm Road Londres. En effet, prolongeant existing building, a structure typical of North London, an imposing
lexprience de cette srie, il greffera sur le btiment existant typique des carapace to enclose and protect it.
constructions du Nord de Londres, une imposante carapace dacier qui le
protge et lencercle.
Bibliographie:
G. Jalk, Dansk Mbelkunst gennem 40 aar,
Vol. 3, ditions Teknologisk Institut Forlag,
Copenhagen, 1987. Modle similaire reproduit
p. 247
E. Hort, Finn Juhl: Furniture, Architecture,
Applied Art, ditions The Danish Architectural
Press, Copenhagen, 1990. Modle similaire
reproduit pp. 26, 32, 34
B. Laursen, S. Matz and C. Holmsted Olesen,
Mestervrker: 100 rs dansk mbelsnedkeri,
ditions Nyt Nordisk Forlag, Copenhagen, 2003.
Modle similaire reproduit p. 8
P. Fiell, Scandinavian Design, ditions
Taschen GmbH, Cologne, 2002. Modle similaire
reproduit p. 328
A. Karlsen, Danish Furniture Design: in the
20th Century, Vol. 2, ditions Dansk Mobelkunst,
Copenhagen, 2007. Modle similaire reproduit
p. 113
La chaise NV44, dite Bone Chair est considre comme lune des plus NV-44 chair is regarded as one of the most important chairs from Finn Juhl.
importantes ralisations de Finn Juhl.
This little armchair with sculpturally contoured frame was designed
Imagine pour la grande exposition internationale de mobilier Copenhague, for the cabinetmakers guild exhibition in 1944 and made by Niels Vodder
la Cabinetmaker Guild, en 1944, elle fut fabrique par lbniste in only 12 copies. The chair marks the beginning of Finn Juhls most
Niels Vodder en seulement douze exemplaires. Ses contours dlicatement fruitful period from 1944 1950. With this chair he first expresses his
sculpts marquent un tournant dans la carrire de Finn Juhl et ouvrent unique sculptural design language solely in wood.
une priode dintense crativit, entre 1944 et 1950, lors de laquelle
il exprimentera les capacits expressives du bois avec la complicit de The NV 44 is it is his most difficult chair to craft, it really tested Niels
Niels Vodder. Vodder abilities and the carpentry joints are possibly Niels Vodder finest
achievement. His sculptural design demand from the wood everything it
Cette chaise est surtout le chef duvre dun bniste hors du commun. can tolerate, stretched wood to its limits to achieve the chairs sculptural
Poussant le matriau, le bois, ses limites, il lui impose torsion, tension and supple forms. By exploring the boundaries between abstract sculpture
et tirement afin de traduire le dlicat dessin de Finn Juhl. Cest ce tour and applied arts, Finn Juhls furniture stands out of the mainstream
de force, tant technique que cratif, qui place les pices de Finn Juhl of the Danish furniture design. Finn Juhls furniture are featured in all
lcart de la banalit souvent rptitive de la cration danoise de lpoque. of the worlds best art museums, and the elevation of his chairs to icon
Aujourdhui considre comme une pice de muse, la Bone Chair and museum pieces was an important precondition for his furnitures
synthtise le trait singulier de Finn Juhl allie au talent de Niels Vodder. ressurection as timeless furniture classic. The NV 44 chair, is a true
masterpiece, due to its rarity and its quality in mode of expression it
separates it from the rest of Juhls most important furnitures.
Provenance:
Villa Cavrois, Croix
Collection particulire, Paris
Bibliographie:
Une Demeure 1934 Architecte Rob
Mallet-Stevens, ditions de lArchitecture
dAujourdhui, Paris, 1934. Modle similaire
reproduit en noir et blanc (non pagin)
LArchitecture dAujourdhui, 1932, n8.
Salle de bain des parents reproduite en noir
et blanc p. 15
Olivier Cinqualbre, Robert Mallet-Stevens:
luvre complte, ditions du Centre Pompidou,
Paris, 2005. Modle similaire reproduit en
couleur p. 162
30 000 50 000
La villa Cavrois (1929 1932) a la particularit d'tre une uvre d'art Villa Cavrois (1929 1932) has the distinction of being a total work of art.
totale. Mallet-Stevens conoit en effet l'architecture de la maison, le plan Its architect, Robert Mallet-Stevens, conceived not just the architecture of
du parc, et, chose exceptionnelle, la quasi-totalit du mobilier. the house but also the plans for the park, and, most unusually, the quasi-
entirety of its furniture.
Si son organisation et son programme l'inscrivent dans la tradition
des maisons bourgeoises, son amnagement, ses dispositifs techniques, If its lay-out and program inscribed the Villa Cavrois within the tradition
rpondent prcisment aux idaux des architectes modernes dont of middle class houses, its furnishings and technical devices were clearly
les mots d'ordre sont alors: espace, air, lumire, hygine, puret. in line with the ideals of modernist architects whose watchwords at the
time were: space, air, light, hygiene and purity.
Une pice attire tout particulirement l'attention des contemporains
tant elle cristallise ces proccupations de confort moderne: la salle de One room in the house in particular attracted the attention of contemporaries
bain des parents. Cest un espace pur en marbre blanc et mtal chrom because of the way it encapsulated their concerns for modern-day
dans lequel se distinguent comme seuls meubles volants quatre tabourets conveniences: the parents bathroom. It was an uncluttered space,
laqus blanc. in white marble and chrome-plated metal, inside which four white lacquered
stools were the only pieces of portable furniture.
La forme s'inspire du tabouret curule MT 1015 de Pierre Chareau.
Mais quand ce dernier conoit un sige dont le dtail constructif est The shape of the stools was derived from that of the Tabouret Curule
encore lisible, Mallet-Stevens dessine un monolithe aux surfaces lisses model MT 1015 designed by Pierre Chareau, While the latters creation
et blanches. Sa conception, si elle est guide par des ncessits pratiques boasted legible construction details, Mallet-Stevens, for his part, designed
rpond aussi au volume architectural du lieu, et notamment au dessin a monolith in smooth white surfaces. His design, though guided by
oblong que forme l'tagre au centre de la pice. Chez Mallet-Stevens tout practical necessities, was a response to the architectural volume of its
est affaire de volumes, d'ombre et de lumire. Disposs sur une moquette environment, specifically to the oblong shape drawn by the set of shelves
noire les tabourets forment des points lumineux, offrant une parfaite in the center of the room.
dmonstration de la beaut du contraste du blanc et du noir que
Mallet-Stevens dfend en dcoration depuis ses dbuts. For Mallet-Stevens, it is all about volumes, light and shadow. Placed
atop black carpeting, the stools appeared as luminous points, a perfect Salle-de-bains des parents, Villa Cavrois, Croix, circa 1930
Apprhend hors de son contexte, le tabouret se rvle un peu plus. demonstration of the beauty created by the contrast of black and white,
On dcouvre un meuble construit sur les mmes concepts que ceux qui an idea that Mallet-Stevens had always defended in decoration.
dfinissent l'architecture de Mallet-Stevens: surface unies, artes vives, Viewed outside of its habitual context, the stool reveals itself a little more.
courbes nettes, matires polies, angles droits, clart, ordre. Il s'impose We discover here a piece of furniture built upon on the same concepts that
comme la quintessence de la pense moderne de Mallet-Stevens. Il est have defined the architecture of Mallet-Stevens: unified surfaces, sharp
le tmoin d'une poque o l'ostentation n'est plus de mise, l'archtype de edges, snappy curves, polished materials, right angles, clarity, order.
l'esthtique minimaliste de ce dbut des annes trente. The stool stands out as the quintessence of Mallet-Stevenss modern
thinking. It is witness to an epoch where ostentatious display is no longer
appropriate, the archetype of the minimalistic aesthetics of the beginning
of the nineteen thirties.
20 000 30 000
Du 19 novembre au 2 dcembre 1958 tait organise Milan par la From November 19 to December 2, 1958, the Sestante Gallery in Milan
Gallerie Il Sestante, une exposition dmaux sur cuivre dEttore Sottsass. organized an exhibition of enameled copper pieces by Ettore Sottsass. Two
Deux annes plus tard, la revue Domus, bible du Design et de lArchitecture years later, the magazine Domus, then a bible of Design and Architecture,
consacre cette exposition une pleine page et la fait entrer dans dedicated a full page to that show, inscribing it as a milestone in a history
les jalons dune histoire en train de scrire. that was still being written.
Tout juste ouverte par un couple de passionnes, Marisa Scarzella Recently opened by Marisa Scarzella et Lina Matteucci, a couple of
et Lina Matteucci, la galerie encourageait alors la rencontre entre les enthusiasts, the gallery encouraged at the time the coming together of
artistes crateurs de lpoque et les savoir-faire traditionnels italiens. artists and other creative types with traditional Italian knowhow.
Fabriqus Pesaro en complicit avec Franco Bucci, ces maux constituent Produced in Pesaro in partnership with Franco Bucci, the enameled pieces
une surprise, tant pour lpoque que pour Sottsass. Pourtant, il comprend are surprising, both for the epoch and for Sottsass. Nevertheless, Sottsass
rapidement ce quil peut attendre de cette technique jusqualors utilise quickly understood what he can expect from a technique that was, until
pour la fabrication dustensiles domestiques bon march ou lornementation then, used primarily for the inexpensive production of household utensils
de bijoux fantaisie. Pour lui, ce sera un terrain de jeu de couleur et de or to decorate costume jewelry. For him, it would become a playing field of
vibration. colors and vibrations.
Ses dessins prparatoires sont si prcis quon pourrait penser quils His sketches were so precise that one could have easily thought they were
se destinent une fabrication industrielle. Pourtant, seuls quelques destined for industrial production. Still, a couple of each model were ever
exemplaires de chaque modle furent fabriqus, respectant scrupuleusement produced, in strict compliance with the designers requirements.
les indications du concepteur.
Mischievous, Sottsass also discovered that he could add another color to
Factieux, Sottsass dcouvrit galement quil pouvait ajouter une nouvelle his palette: that of untreated copper. On a few pieces, including the plate
couleur sa palette: celle du cuivre brut. Sur quelques pices, dont presented here, Sottsass used coppers own metallic red shade to bring
lassiette que nous prsentons, Sottsass utilise le rouge mtallique du attention to the pieces enameled parts. The large diameter of the plate (the
cuivre afin dattirer davantage le regard sur la partie maille. Son grand largest in the series started at 16 cms) surely prompted Sottsass to consider
diamtre (le plus grand de toute la srie qui dbutait 16 cm), encourage the surface as that of a canvas rather than a plate.
certainement Sottsass considrer cette surface davantage comme celle
dun tableau que dune assiette ou dun plat. In fact, the patterns he conceived for the more modestly sized plates were
generally centered and well arranged on the surface. Here, the goal
En effet, les motifs quil conoit pour les assiettes de diamtres plus was not purely ornamental but rather a deliberate, artistic proposal in
modestes sont gnralement centrs et ordonns sur la surface. Ici, il a material that Sottsass would be using for the first and last time. An
nest point question dornementation mais dune proposition rsolument artistic objective that appears to extend beyond the surface.
plastique qui sexprime dans un matriau que Sottsass utilise pour la
premire et dernire fois. Une intention artistique qui semble se poursuivre
lextrieur de la surface.
Bibliographie:
Domus n 332, juillet 1957. Modle similaire
reproduit en noir et blanc
50 000 70 000
Dans les annes 1950, le luminaire italien domine lunivers domestique In the 1950s, Italian lighting design dominated the western domestic
occidental. Sur cet important march, stimul par la reconstruction universe. In that critical market, two companies, boosted by the postwar
de laprs-guerre et les 30 glorieuses, deux compagnies se disputent les reconstruction effort and the Glorious Thirty the thirty years from
faveurs des dcorateurs: la milanaise Arteluce et sa concurrente directe, 1945 to 1975 following the end of the Second World War competed for
Arredoluce installe Monza. the favors of decorators: the Milanese Arteluce and its direct competitor,
Arredoluce, based in Monza.
Sous limpulsion de Gino Sarfati, la premire est rpute la plus crative With Gino Sarfatti at its helm, Arteluce, reputed for being the more
et impose, ds les annes 1950, un style design ses appareils creative of the two, imposed during the 1960s, a designed style
dclairage. La seconde est plus classique fidle un vocabulaire hrite on its lighting devices. More traditional, the other company, Arredoluce
des arts dcoratifs. remained faithful to a classic vernacular derived from the decorative arts.
Ne voulant pas se laisser dpasser sur le terrain de la crativit, Arredoluce Refusing to be outdone where creativity was at stake, in 1957, Arredoluce
fait appel en 1957 jeune designer dont la presse admire dj la crativit: called upon a young designer whose own talents were lauded by the
Ettore Sottsass. press: Ettore Sottsass.
Pour Arredoluce, Sottsass dessinera quelques modles dont lambition Sottsass was less concerned with the commercial success of his pieces as
premire est dinscrire la socit dans le nouveau paysage du design. he was with innovation, invention and research. He sought inspiration
Sottsass ne se proccupe donc pas du succs commercial de ses pices: in the spatial conquest of forms never before seen in a domestic
il innove, il invente, il recherche en sinspirant de la conqute spatiale des environment. The audacious forms along with the use of Perspex, a
formes jamais vues quil projette dans des espaces domestiques. Leurs plastic material, confirmed the resolute modernity of his pieces. Critical
formes trs audacieuses et lemploi du Perspex, une matire plastique, success was immediate, on the heels of his models being exhibited in fairs
revendiquent leur caractre rsolument moderne et le succs critique est and salons. Produced in very limited editions, those pieces, featured
immdiat, lorsque ces modles sont exposs lors de foires et de salons. in trade publications such as Domus, served above all to promote
Fabriqus en trs peu dexemplaires, ces pices sont avant tout des pices Arredoluces image and serve its communication needs.
conues pour la communication et limage dArredoluce que les revues
spcialises, telles que Domus, sempresse de reproduire. One such trade publication, in what was then considered a bible for
design, compiled the only bibliography of this lot, a piece that is extremely
Cest dailleurs une de ces publications, dans ce qui est la bible du Design rare and certainly unique.
des annes 1950, qui constitue la seule bibliographie de cette pice, Like a bright celestial body, its radiating light is concealed by a lacquered
extrmement rare, certainement unique. metal half moon. Its brass fasteners recall the traditional know-how
Tel un astre lumineux, son rayonnement se cache derrire une demi-lune of Arredoluce for whom Sottsass signed this lighting device at the end of
de mtal laqu. Les attaches en laiton, rappellent le savoir-faire traditionnel their collaboration. Another story was to begin (see lots 4 and 17).
dArredoluce pour laquelle, Sottsass signe par ce luminaire la fin de sa
collaboration. Une autre histoire commence (voir lots 4 et 17).
Provenance:
Galerie Downtown Franois Laffanour, Paris
Acquis auprs de cette dernire par lactuel
propritaire
Bibliographie:
Jean Prouv, Concepteur Constructeur,
ditions PEN, Tokyo, 2012. Modle similaire
reproduit en couleur p. 30
Jean Prouv, ditions Galeries Jousse Seguin
Enrico Navarra, Paris, 1998. Modle similaire
reproduit en couleur p. 48
Jean Prouv, ditions Galerie Patrick Seguin,
Paris, 2007. Modle similaire reproduit en
couleur p. 313
35 000 45 000
Le premier dessin de fauteuil de direction date des annes 1930, alors The first sketch of the Director Armchair dates back to the 1930s, when
que Jean Prouv tait charg de concevoir lamnagement des bureaux Jean Prouv was tasked with refitting the headquarters of the Paris power
de la Compagnie parisienne dlectricit. Repris ds 1946, il sattela le company, the CPDE. Modifying his design in 1946, Prouv was set on
rendre plus confortable et fonctionnel. Avec ses pieds arrires fusels en making the chair both more confortable and functional. With its slender
tle dacier plie et ses pieds avant et accoudoirs en tube, il est propos hind legs in folded sheet metal and its tubular front legs and armrests,
en plusieurs versions afin de pouvoir rpondre aux commandes les plus the chair was offered in various versions in order to satisfy the diversity
diverses (bureaux, usines, coles, universits). of demand from offices, factories, schools, universities
Sa production dbute en 1947, mais, cherchant perfectionner le modle, Production of the chair began in 1947. Continuously looking to refine
Prouv continue y apporter de nombreuses modifications. Il rallonge the model, Prouv brought multiple changes to his original design. He
les pieds, redresse le dossier et calcule mme linclinaison idale des pieds extended the legs, raised the seat back and even measured the ideal slope
arrire pour permettre son utilisateur de se balancer! of the hind legs to allow the user to swing back and forth.
Ces retouches aboutissent une version finale, qui est distribue par His touch-ups culminated in a final version distributed by Steph Simon
Steph Simon en 1952. in 1952.
Le fauteuil que nous proposons est lun des tous derniers avant cette dition. The armchair featured in this sale if one of the last before that edition.
Command en couleur jaune (la plus recherche de la gamme) et garni Commissioned in yellow the more sought-after color of the series and
de ska vert, il fut acquis par un collectionneur franais dans une clbre upholstered in green ska (imitation leather) by the Ateliers Jean Prouv,
galerie parisienne au dbut des annes 2000. it was acquired by a French collector from a renowned Parisian gallery
and kept in his home until today.
Provenance:
Famille Dollander, Nancy et Le Lavandou
Collection du Docteur P., Nancy
Acquis auprs de ce dernier par lactuel
propritaire
Bibliographie:
Jean Prouv, Concepteur Constructeur,
ditions PEN, Tokyo, 2012. Modle similaire
reproduit en couleur p. 152
Jean Prouv, ditions Galerie Patrick Seguin,
Paris, 2007. Modle similaire reproduit en noir
et blanc p. 478
50 000 70 000
Ami intime de la famille Prouv, Jean Dollander est la tte dune importante Jean Dollander, an intimate friend of the Prouv family, was at the
socit lorraine de tissage, Les Tissages des Lesses. helm of an important weaving company called Les Tissages des Lesses,
located in the region of Lorraine.
Ds 1947, Prouv et Dollander collaborent ensemble un projet de
construction de btiments prfabriqus Fresse-sur-Moselle. Cet amical Starting in 1947, Prouv and Dollander had partnered in a project
compagnonnage se poursuivra, en 1949, lorsque Jean Dollander demande to build prefabricated houses in the town of Fresse-sur-Moselle. Their
son ami de lui construire une villa, sur la Cte dAzur, au Lavandou. amicable collaboration was ongoing in 1949 when Jean Dollander asked
his friend to build a villa for him in the commune of Lavandou, on the
Aujourdhui monument historique, cette Villa est compose de deux corps French Riviera.
de btiments portique central porteur, typique des constructions de
Jean Prouv et lintrieur est entirement meubl par les Ateliers Jean Prouv, Classified today as a historic monument, the villa consisted of two
tout comme leur rsidence lorraine, situe Nancy, rue de Laxou. separate structures linked with a load-bearing central portico, typical of
Jean Prouvs architecture. The villas interior was entirely furnished by
Notre bahut provient de la collection de cette famille damis de Jean Prouv. the Ateliers Jean Prouv, much like that of the Dollander residence on rue
Sa couleur, jaune Citron, fait partie des teintes les plus rarement utiliss de Laxou, in Nancy.
de la palette Prouv et est, aujourdhui, parmi les plus recherches.
The buffet in this sale was part of the original Dollander collection. Its
Lors de la disparition de Jean Dollander, une de ses filles cde ce buffet lemon-yellow color is one rarely used on the Prouv color palette, and
au Docteur P., proche de la famille. Il na pas, depuis, quitt les environs as such, remains one of the more coveted.
de Nancy o il tait prcieusement conserv.
Following Jean Dollanders passing, one of his daughters ceded the buffet
Mais ce qui rend sans doute unique ce buffet cest son dos qui rvle to a close family friend, Doctor P. from the Lorraine region. Since then,
le nom du commanditaire de la planche qui le clt. On peut encore y lire, it has been well preserved in the suburbs of Nancy.
certainement crit par le menuisier la craie, Prouv.
Another feature that distinguishes this piece is the name of the original
client on the back frame. Written in chalk, undoubtedly by the cabinetmaker,
one can still make out the word: Prouv.
Contact : Contact :
Karine Castagna Capucine Tamboise
+33 (0)1 42 99 20 28 +33 (0)1 42 99 16 21
[email protected] [email protected]
Pierre JEANNERET (1896 1967) Niki de SAINT PHALLE (1930 2001)
Table de lecture clairante Nana Danseuse Noire 1968 (dtail)
provenant de la bibliothque de lUniversit du Pendjab, Chandigarh Rsine peinte, 230 150 60 cm
Contact Design :
Claire Gallois
+33 (0)1 42 99 16 24
[email protected]
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