In September, after the summer break, Piasa presents a selection of objects and furniture created by some of the most important designers of the 21st century. The sale of a bronze coffee table by Diego Giacometti will be one of the highlights of the auction.
The catalogue for the first September sale—dedicated to French design—opens with a collection of just under fifty ceramics made by Jacques and Dani Ruelland. From a private collection, most were created between 1955 and 1960. The couple, pioneers alongside Georges Jouve and Pierre Szekely, contributed to what Pierre Staudenmeyer, author of La Céramique française des années 50 (Norma editions, 2004), calls “Western Zen.” In 1955, they also invented a technique combining clay with manganese oxide. Their objects are characterized by sleek shapes covered in glossy glaze (Lamp, glazed ceramic and textile, circa 1960, €8,000 / €12,000) and are designed to be displayed as groups (Set composed of eight single-flower vases, two vases, and a bowl, glazed ceramic, €20,000 / €30,000).
The auction then focuses on furniture by interwar designers—legendary cabinetmakers (Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, a pair of armchairs called ‘Broken Ear’, rosewood, textile, and gilded bronze, €60,000 / €90,000), minimalist decorators (Jean-Michel Frank, console desk, blackened iron, leather, and brass. Comte edition, Argentina, €25,000 / €35,000), and radical architects (Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand & Pierre Jeanneret, table model ‘B 307’, chrome-plated steel and glass, Thonet edition, €8,000 / €12,000).
Among them is an unclassifiable artist, long overshadowed by his brother Alberto: Diego Giacometti. His bronze tables, created from the 1950s until his death in 1985, have seen a significant surge in the art market over the past decade. The coffee table known as ‘with toads and a mouse’ offered here—acquired in 1981 directly from the artist—comes from the collection of the previous owner, textile publisher Manuel Canovas. It is estimated between €300,000 and €400,000.
© D.R.
