SOTHEBY'S Paris press release
33 (0)1 53 05 53 66 | Sophie Dufresne | sophie.dufresne@sothebys.com
33 (0)1 53 05 52 32 | Chloé Brézet| chloe.brezet@sothebys.com
81 % of lots sold above their high estimates
Claude Lalanne, Lapin de Victoire, 2005 - €903,000 ($966,000)
Gustave Miklos, Les Fiancés, 1937 - €369,000 ($394,700)
Paris, 24 November - The day opened with the Design sale offering an overview of the decorative arts from 1900 to the present day, mingling masterpieces of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, through to Design and highly sought-after works by artists with a more limited following. It was followed by the sale dedicated to Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne - the first auction ever devoted exclusively to this duo of artists. With a total of nearly €5 million ($5,3 million), the sale largely exceeded its high estimate.
Design
In this first session, 20th century sculptors received particular acclaim. In the front line came Gustave Miklos with Les Fiancés, which garnered the highest price in the Design sale. This unique piece of 1937 from the Jacques and Pierre André collection exceeded its high estimate at €369,000/$394,693 (lot 47, €100,000-150,000 / $114,000-171,000).
François Pompon also inspired some competitive bidding with two magnificent animal sculptures. One was Panthère noire, a unique piece carved in stone by the artist from the Jacques and Pierre André collection, which buyers fought for all the way up to
Registration no 2001 - 002 of 25 October 2001 Sale conducted by Camille de Foresta, Cécile Verdier
€225,000/$240,667 (lot 46, estimate: €80,000-120,000 / $91,000-137,000). This panther was described as a 'delightful object one wants to stroke, which reveals all the sculptor's sensitive skill with light and shade'. Jacques André purchased it directly from the artist, and kept it in his collection all his life before it went to his son. Sanglier, a bronze boar of 1927, also acquired directly from the artist by the Comte de Grunne, remained in his family ever since. It was sold well above its high estimate at €195,000/$208,578 (lot 48, estimate:
€50,000-70,000 / $57,000-79,500).
Another highly sought-after sculptor was Alberto Giacometti, in particular with his Ecossaise lamp (1934-1935) from the Elsa Schiaparelli collection. This piece in tinted plaster, which went all the way up to €161,400/$172,638, was inherited by the dress designer's daughter Gogo (lot 54, estimate: €40,000-60,000 / $45,500-68,500). Giacometti met Elsa Schiaparelli through Jean-Michel Frank in the early 1930s.
Seven lots by Jean-Michel Frank were offered at auction. They all found buyers, achieving the combined total of this group to €372,750/$394,855. They included a poetic masterpiece produced by three great artists, Jean-Michel Frank, Christian Bérard and the Norwegian designer Margarita-Classen Smith, which were sold for €50,000/$52,960 (lot 53). It also included 6 pieces of furniture (lots 56 to 61), with a pair of stools (lot 58), designed by Frank and produced by the Comté company, which fetched more than their high estimate at
€99,000/$105,893.
For the Art Nouveau section, Emile Gallé's works have attracted new interest over the past few years, from all over the world. This sale featured five lots, including four glass vases illustrating techniques that enabled him to use an endless number of colours for his decorative compositions. There were some rare models and some making their first appearance on the market, such as one with glass marquetry decoration, which had remained in the same Nancy collection since it was made in 1898-1904, sold for
€81,000/$85,762: five times its low estimate (lot 13, estimate: €15,000-25,000 / $17,100- 28,400). Another, a Rose de France Vase, c. 1900, in glass with inset inclusions and a rose decoration, went for €141,000/$150,818 (lot 16, estimate: €70,000-90,000/$79,500- 103.000). Lastly a Vase of around 1889, faceted with inset polychrome powders and gold highlights, made twice its high estimate at €43,750/$46,307 (lot 19, estimate: €15,000- 20,000/$17,100-22,800).
Contemporary tapestry was fittingly represented with, for the first time at Sotheby's in Paris, two works by the American artist Sheila Hicks, including a monumental fresco from the late Sixties of eight panels formed of twisted linen skeins. Estimated at €60,000 to 80,000 ($63,506 to 84,700), it finally went for €87,000/$92,100 (lot 122). The same incantatory magic imbued a prayer mat, estimated at €10,000-15,000 / $17,100-28,400, which went all the way up to €27,500/$29,105 (lot 123).
The biggest surprise came with the splendid €81,000/$85,735 obtained by the Cake Stool, a model created in 2008, made of soft animal toys by Fernando and Humberto Campana (lot 141, estimate: €15,000-20,000 / $17,100-28,400).
A triumph for the Lalannes at Sotheby's Paris
In an impressive first in the art market, Sotheby's France dedicated a sale exclusively to the Lalannes. 76 lots coming from mainly French private collections retraced 40 years of their works, with a selection of furniture, sculptures, works of art and jewellery. This overview, containing numerous unique pieces and limited editions, included works ranging from an egg cup estimated at €200/$212 to a sculpture estimated at €550,000/$582,333.
With a total of nearly €5 million ($5,3 million) success was assured, with results exceeding all estimates. Nearly 100 % of lots were sold by value. Collectors from all over the world were amazed by the timeless, poetic works created by these two French artists.
The highest price of this sale went to the monumental Lapin de Victoire by Claude Lalanne, seemingly straight out of a children's fairytale, which dominated the sale by carrying off an impressive €903,000/$965,876 (lot 238, estimate: €550,000-700,000/$625,000-785,000).
This was followed by numerous iconic works, which were battled for by five bidders per lot on average. François-Xavier Lalanne's sheep in epoxy cement of 1994-1995 fetched
€483,000/516,631 (lot 261, estimate: €200,000-300,000/$279,000-391,000).
Le Grand oiseau de Peter A was bought for €363,000/$388,276 by a private collector (lot 217, estimate: €200,000-300,000). Table aux mouettes, 1997, which had always remained in the same collection, fetched €219,000/$231,850 (lot 229, estimate: €180,000- 220,000/$279,000-391,000).
Cécile Verdier, the European head of Design at Sotheby's, Florent Jeanniard and Elie Massaoutis, specialists in charge of the sales, said: 'we are extremely delighted. Plenty of collectors turned up for the sale, and their enthusiasm for French 20th century works is as strong as ever. In 20th century design, Sotheby's France ended the year on a high note with a total of around €15,000,000/$15,880,128 for this category in 2015.'
*Estimates do not include the buyer's premium, and prices consist of the hammer price and the buyer's premium
Images are available on request
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