PARIS.- The sale to be hosted by the Avignon-based auction house on 2 December 2023 brings together 200 pieces selected for their importance, their uniqueness and their provenance. Patrick Armengau will orchestrate the dispersal of a number of exceptional pieces created by Diego Giacometti, François Pompon and Philippe Hiquily from the collection of Margaret Louise Brozek, née Feist, known as “Peggy” (born in Long Branch, New Jersey, in 1935 and died in Ménerbes, France, 2020), whose excellent taste for the decorative arts of the 20th century was illustrated throughout her highly colorful life. The sale will also include rare and refined pieces by Georges Jouve, Gaston Lebourgeois and the ceramist/sculptor Sebastian, all acquired by Lucienne Lazon (1910-2007), jeweler and creator of the first drawing of the Palme d'Or for the Cannes Film Festival in 1955.
Collection Margaret Louise Brozek (née Feist)
Margaret Louise Brozek led a splendidly colorful life. Born into a family of real estate developers in the New York area, Peggy (as she was known) married Philip Uzielli, a young Florentine who had adopted American nationality and graduated brilliantly from Princeton University. Peggy acquired a keen interest in the decorative arts, French elegance and refinement from her mother-in-law Sybil Esmond Uzielli Billotte, herself the daughter of Valentine Deutsch de la Meurthe and from an important family of industrialists and patrons. Sybil was a friend of Henry Samuel, to whom she entrusted the decoration of her apartments and houses and Peggy remained very close to Sybil even after her separation from her son in the 1960s. Diego Giacometti's console was acquired between 1966 and 1968 directly from the artist through Henri Samuel, at the time Jacques Grange was working with Samuel. Grange remembers meeting Peggy and Sybil. Sybil accompanied Peggy to her many residences, including that of Gordes, the subject of a long article published in Art & Decoration in November 2004. The console is very similar to the one in Henri Samuel’s collection that sold at Christie’s in Monaco in 1996.
Peggy’s second husband was Claude Foussier, Chairman and CEO of the Société Parisienne de Boissons Gazeuses (SPBG), founded by his father, Jacques Foussier, Chairman and CEO of Pernod. The father and then the son were at the origin of the introduction and distribution of Coca-Cola in France. During this period, Peggy led a very rich social and cultural life and it was at this time that she acquired François Pompon’s white marble sculpture, The Polar Bear, another version of which belongs to Dijon’s Museum of Fine Arts.
In the early 90s, Peggy met Miroslav Jean Brozek whom she married in 1993 at the town hall of Megève.
A sculptor known for his career as an actor during the 1960s (under the pseudonym Jean Blaise), he was the friend and confidante of Brigitte Bardot with whom he shared his life in the 1970s. Peggy and Miroslav settled in Peggy’s splendid chalet at Côte 2000, Megève, which she herself had decorated and which was featured in Home Interior magazines like AD (Architectural Digest). Peggy also left her mark on the Ménerbes property where Brozek’s sculptural works were part of an impressive and harmonious arrangement with the furniture that is being offered in this sale.
Some of the atmosphere of the Ménerbes property will no doubt be perceptible at the Avignon sale on December 2.
Lucienne Lazon Collection (1910-2007)
Around ten rare and superb pieces in the Avignon sale come from the collection of Lucienne Lazon (1910- 2007), a jeweler and jewelry designer who created the Palme d'Or symbol for the Cannes Film Festival in 1955.
In 1934, Lucienne Lazon, member of the Society of Decorative Artists, met artist/sculptor Sébastien (1909- 1990) who created the terracotta bases for the Palmes d’Or prizes for many years and whose artworks are rare on the art market. His dreamlike universe can be appreciated at the La Piscine museum in Roubaix, which holds an exceptional collection of his works. A superb hanging wall lamp sculpture, a unique piece created in 1951 and representing Saint Francis (of Assisi), will be offered with an estimate of €5,000 – €8,000. Another unique piece in terracotta titled Vierge donner-recevoir created in circa 1955-58 will be offered with an estimate of €4,000 – €6,000.
The collection includes two mirrors by Georges Jouve (1910-1964), probably acquired by the jeweler in 1949, during the participation of the two artists in the 35th Exhibition of the Society of Decorative Artists in Paris. Soleil, modèle 1002 (numbered 6/10) is a large mirror with its original glass measuring 52 cm in diameter that was made between 1945 and 1948 (estimated €15,000 – €20,000).
Lucienne Lazon also met Gaston Le Bourgeois (1880-1956), decorative artist and animal sculptor, at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, where he was noticed by Jacques Doucet. Apart from these professional meetings, Lazon and Le Bourgeois saw each other regularly in Rambouillet where they both lived and the sculptor gave several of his works to the jeweler. Three pieces from this collection will be sold on December 2: a sculpture of a Pigeon in tinted chestnut (estimated €3,000 – €5,000), another Homing Pigeon sculpture in bronze (estimated €5,000 – €8,000) and a Genette in gilded bronze (estimated €1,000 – €1,500).
