On Wednesday September 27, PIASA is organizing a sale of art and design from the Collection of the Lefebvre-Vornic Endowment Fund for the Renewal of Opera, whose aim is to support the production of recent operas and, above all, the international visibility and durability of the best of them, by financing the first, second or third productions of these works on world stages. Featuring 166 lots, this auction offers a cross-section of art and design that is particularly representative of the spirit of PIASA's thematic sales. It features the signatures of great artists and designers of the 20th and 21st centuries, such as Alighiero e Boetti, Alfredo Jaar, Bertrand Lavier and Edward Paschke for art, and Gio Ponti, Ettorre Sottsass, Martin Szekely, Yonel Lebovici for design.
Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007)
German Silver - Limited edition
ESTIMATE : 4 000 / 6 000 €
With no intention of hierarchizing or classifying, this auction organized from the Lefebvre- Vornic Endowment collection is a journey through the world of visual and plastic creations of the 20th and 21st centuries and the interactions among these practices. There are as many sources of inspiration as there are mediums used in the production of works of art and everyday objects in this collection.
The eclecticism of the artworks on display often refers back to the recurring theme of black and white color, notably illustrated by significant pieces by Sophie Calle (the “Tombs” series), Michel Journiac (the iconic “Homage to Freud” series), and silver prints by Thomas Struth and Hiroshi Sugimoto.
Five major works are also featured in this collection:
- an exceptional diptych by Alighiero e Boetti entitled "Energia iniziale", completely covered in ballpoint pen (1986-87)
Alighiero e Boetti (1940-1994)
Energia Iniziale, 1986-1987
Ball pen and pencil on paper mounted on canvas (dyptich)
ESTIMATE : 150 000 / 200 000 €
- and, for art lovers, a rare dark blue monochrome embroidery, entitled « Le infinite Possibilita di Esistere », bearing an inscription in Dari,
- a beautiful installation by Alfredo Jaar entitled "Water", dated 1990,
- a minimalist sculpture by Bertrand Lavier from 1989, composed of a Japanese shoggi stool resting on a pedestal, the whole piece covered in acrylic paint,
- and finally an oil on canvas by the all-too rare Ed Paschke (3 works will be presented). This Polish-American artist of the Chicago School, who was part of the second generation of American pop art, is represented notably by a fluorescent piece dating from 1989 entitled "Je suis de passage" ("I am passing by").
Edward Paschke (1939-2004)
Je suis de passage, 1989
ESTIMATE : 30 000 / 40 000 €
On the design side, the guiding idea of this collection is a particular interest in the history of production methods from the post-war period onwards, which saw a succession of currents and styles. The post-war scene was a particularly rich field of experimentation when it came to manufacturing materials. Gio Ponti's aluminum furniture, designed especially for the Montecatini building in Milan, is a good example of this. Some pieces are not simply furnishing or decorative objects, but become creations whose artistic significance goes far beyond their utilitarian side, and even - by virtue of the ideas they convey - beyond the strict definition of design. Examples include pieces by Ettore Sottsass, Yonel Lebovici's Satellite lamp and, more recently, objects designed by Martin Szekely or the “wearable art” by Ted Noten.
Yonel Lebovici (1937-1998)
Satellite (Small Model) - Limited edition
Modular table lamp
ESTIMATE : 7 000 / 9 000 €
