LONDON.- Phillips announced highlights from the upcoming Design auction in London. Taking place on 2 November, the sale will feature important works spanning the 20th and 21st Centuries, including, among others, designs by François-Xavier Lalanne, Claude Lalanne, Marcel Coard, Gio Ponti and Paolo de Poli, Gabriella Crespi, Joris Laarman, and Finn Juhl, and studio ceramics including pieces by Hans Coper and Lucie Rie. Comprising 125 lots, the auction catalogue will go online from 18 October and on view to the public from 27 October at Phillips London galleries on Berkeley Square until the auction on 2 November at 2pm.
Domenico Raimondo, Senior Director, Head of Department, Europe and Senior International Specialist, said, “We are delighted to present our Fall auction in London which encompasses a remarkable and varied selection of material, including works which have never appeared on the market before. From the surrealism-inspired designs of François-Xavier Lalanne and Claude Lalanne, Gio Ponti and Paolo De Poli to the exquisite studio ceramics of Hans Coper and Lucie Rie, and the structural dynamism of Joris Laarman’s Bone Chair, this auction offers a diverse selection of high quality craftmanship from throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.”
French Highlights
François-Xavier Lalanne’s ‘Brebis’ from the Nouveaux Mouton series is a highlight of the sale. Lalanne’s sheep have become iconic expressions of his imaginative creations, ever since his first sheep sculptures were covered in wool and included in a 1966 installation titled Pour Polyphème shown at the Salon de la Jeune Peinture in the Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris. Blurring the lines between the decorative and the functional, twenty white sheep and four black sheep were displayed in the centre of the room where spectators and artists were invited to sit and lie down. In the 1990s, the artist added a ram and lambs in epoxy stone and bronze to complete the family of animals. An ensemble of whimsical sculptures, including the present ‘Brebis’, were conceived as much as works of art as innovative pieces of furniture. Since the 1960s, they have graced the homes of distinguished collectors and embody the sense of playfulness at the heart the artist’s oeuvre. ‘Brebis’ is made of epoxy stone and patinated bronze, allowing it to be displayed outdoors as well as indoors.
A further highlight of this sale is Claude Lalanne’s 'Crocoseat' which is number 1 from an edition of 8. In the late 1960s Claude visited the Paris Zoo thanks to her friend and fellow artist Niki de Saint Phalle. The zoo's director agreed to let her have the remains of a recently deceased crocodile, which she used to give a series of cast bronze works a reptilian texture. From the early 1970s, the tactile forms of the animal's scaly skin became a recurrent theme of her work. In the present bronze 'Crocoseat', Lalanne's fascination for the striking shapes of the animal world merge with her knowledge and profound interest in precious metal craftsmanship. The gleaming, life like crocodile skin drapes over the seat and creates a fantastical free form backrest.
This extraordinary piece embodies Marcel Coard’s very own style of creating original and unique pieces for his patrons. After beginning his career with the great couturier and patron of Art Deco, Jacques Doucet, Marcel Coard’s career took a turning point in 1928 when he eventually asserted his own individual style through an entire commission to design Paul (Jean Cocteau's older brother) and Marcelle Cocteau’s country house in Touraine, where he was given carte blanche. The present monumental ceiling light, from the Paul Cocteau residence, Champgault is a rediscovery that appears on the market for the first time. The painted illustrations of zodiac signs on the central painted band, the interlocking circles and a small star in the upper part, offset from the ceiling hook points to Coard's interest in the stars which was most likely motivated by the discovery of the planet Pluto in February 1930.
Jean Prouvé’s Five-panel screen is a remarkable example of the designer’s skilled metalwork. Recognised around the world for blending architecture and engineering to create what are now considered iconic pieces of Mid-Century French Design, Prouvé's
main achievement was transferring manufacturing technology from industry to architecture and design, without losing aesthetic qualities. His utilitarian designs strip materials down to the bare minimum without compromising on proportion or style.
Studio Ceramicists
Included in the sale is a selection of works from studio ceramicists Hans Coper and Lucie Rie. Nine of the Coper pots come from an important private collection and several of them have featured in landmark exhibitions which were seminal in the artist’s career, such as Coper’s first big international touring exhibition at the Boijmans Museum in Rotterdam in 1967, his first breakthrough exhibition in the UK at the V&A, and a breakthrough show at the Midland Group Gallery in Nottingham. Both Coper and Rie’s works are highly sought after by collectors, with their ceramics being considered as a fine artform.
Italian Highlights
A unique and striking sculptural table was designed by Gio Ponti in collaboration with Paolo De Poli. During the 1950s, Ponti designed experimental furniture pieces with De Poli and, of those pieces, the whereabouts of only three are known: two unique coffee tables and one large free-standing fireplace. The present unique low table is one of those two coffee tables and was executed by one of Ponti’s finest cabinetmakers, Giordano Chiesa. Seeming to emulate the surface, colour, and shape of a swimming pool, the tabletop is recessed with blue enamel inclusions combined with the striking concave and sculptural underside. The result is a completely unique integration of furniture design and artistic approach.
A further group of 14 lots designed by Gio Ponti will be offered at auction this November from a Milanese Estate. Included in the group are important pieces which, like the unique low table, were executed by Ponti’s
favoured cabinetmaker Giordano Chiesa and passed by descent to the present owners. From sculptures possibly designed for Casa Lucano to a unique bronze ashtray from the early 1950s through to three oil paintings that Ponti included in his 1955 Accanto alla’ Architettura exhibition at the Galleria del Sole, Milan. The group comprises a broad spectrum of works spanning three decades all of which evoke Ponti’s dynamic, modern, and pioneering designs showcasing a very high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail.
Gabriella Crespi’s designs also feature as important Italian design highlights in the auction. Included amongst the selection of eight pieces is a ‘Yang Yin' adjustable desk with integrated bookcase, from the 1979 'Plurimi' series. Crespi’s source of inspiration for the series and for many of her designs was the Chinese philosophical concept of yin and yang in which opposite forces are interconnected. The steel and acrylic configuration of the present lot is one of the few, less than 10, which according to the Archive were produced at the time. An example made from the same materials was exhibited in September 1982 at the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnica in Milan as part of the exhibition I Plurimi di Gabriella Crespi 1970 - 1982.
This impressive, rare ceiling light comprises twelve model no. 3055/37 lights and twelve smaller model no. 3055/12 lights. A lighting review in Domus no. 403 from June 1963 explains that it was available to order in various configurations. Custom configurations were in Milan's Castello Sforzesco, a city landmark which was restored by Studio B.B.P.R. between 1954 and 1963 and in the Hispano-Olivetti showroom in Barcelona. A model with this configuration was created for the Palermo branch of the Intesa San Paolo bank.
Contemporary Highlight
In the mid 2000’s Joris Laarman became particularly interested in the biological processes of tree and bone growth as well as the possibilities of 3-D fabrication. These fascinations coalesced in his first ‘Bone Chair’, a precursor to the present lot. Inspired by the way in which bones grow, Laarman developed a computer algorithm for his designs that minimises mass where less support is needed. For the present lot, Laarman used this biologically inspired algorithm to create a 3-D mold. He then cast the chair using a mixture of Carrara marble powder and resin. Whereas his first ‘Bone Chair’ was made with aluminum, the chalky and smooth quality of the marble resin has a bone-like appearance.
Scandinavian Highlight
The present lot is a rare early example of work by pioneering Danish architect and designer Finn Juhl. Only two of these coffee tables with an integrated plant holder are known to have been made, one of which was in the designer’s own home, as documented in period photographs. This model has never appeared on the market before. A key figure in Danish design Juhl made his debut in 1937 and regularly exhibited at the Copenhagen Cabinetmakers' Guild Exhibition. His early works, such as this rare coffee table, were produced in very small numbers, revealing his collaboration with his trusted and irreverent cabinet marker Niels Vodder and Juhl’s search for his own design language inspired by contemporary international styles.
