As part of the "Liaigre, un art de vivre" and "AD Style" sales, on Wednesday, the PIASA auction house on Wednesday, June, 17, 2020, the design department is presenting a selection of pieces by some of the most emblematic designers of the second half of the 20th century, including Eric Schmitt.
Eric Schmitt was self-taught when he created his first pieces in the mid-1980s. He began a collaboration with Christian Liaigre, notably for the decoration of the Hotel Montalembert, and designed an important collection of bronze objects for him. The year 2015 saw the opening of his own studio in the Marais district of Paris and the publication of a first monograph of his work by Éditions Norma.
Since 2000, his studio has been located in a village in the heart of the Fontainebleau forest. This closeness to Nature has had a profound influence on his work. From 2006, he abandons ornaments to approach the search for balance and loss of balance with pieces in folded bronze or associated with materials that contrast with the rigidity of the metal. After collaborating with Jacques Grange on the construction site of a hotel in New York, the designer opened his own studio in the Marais district of Paris. Harmoniously combining a know-how stemming from the French tradition of decorative arts and a resolutely contemporary design sensibility,
Éric Schmitt works with materials such as bronze, alabaster or Bohemian glass, which he sometimes combines with synthetic materials such as Corian or anodised aluminium.
Eric Schmitt (born 1955)
Table - Unique piece
Marble and polished bronze
Creation date: 2019
Stamped 'ES' on the foot
H74×Ø 140cm
Among the pieces sold on Wednesday 17 June 2020, the table in marble and polished bronze particularly illustrates the minimalism of the artist's aesthetics. Stamped "ES" on the leg, this remarkable piece was estimated at between 30,000 and 40,000 euros.
Eric Schmitt (born 1955)
Colonne - 4/24
Double console
Patinaed bronze and polished bronze
Liaigre edition, limited to 24 models
Engraved 'E.S. pour C. Liaigre' and '4/24'
Creation date: 2013
H 75 X L 180 X P 40 cm
Published by Liaigre and limited to 24 copies, the double console table - numbered 4/24 - was produced in 2013. It was estimated at between 14,000 and 18,000 euros. The polished bronze creates a mirror effect that contrasts with the matt surfaces of the patinated bronze.
In 2017, his work was the subject of a solo exhibition at Ralph Pucci's in New York, which allowed us to look back on nearly three decades of creation.
