On Wednesday 3 June 2015, PIASA staged an auction devoted to the most
pioneering Belgian designer of the early 20th century: Gustave Serrurier
Bovy. The 81 lots brought almost €1 million, with new records for the artist.
For the first time at auction at PIASA, an important collection of furniture cast
the spotlight on Gustave Serrurier-Bovy and his most famous designs (Liszt,
Campagne, Silex series, etc.).
Among the leading prices was a record €34,892 for his large sideboard in varnished
oak (lot 9), highly evocative of the influence of Nature on Serrurier-Bovy’s work.
A similar sideboard, in narra, can be found New York’s Metropolitan Museum.
There were also records for unique items from Château de la Cheyrelle in central
France, led by the floor-lamp from the entry hall (1903) that sold for €53,680 (lot
61); and the dining-room sideboard (1904), embellished with green ironwork and
ceramic tiles, at €46,970 (lot 53).
Connoisseurs were also captivated by iconic items of furniture from the Silex
series. Serrurier-Bovy was a veritable innovator, both technically and socially;
he invented ‘jointed furniture’ – a system of assembled modules made entirely
from solid poplar – imbued with an avant-garde minimalism, and decorated with
stencilled blue or green friezes evoking painted screws. Fine examples at PIASA
included a poplar wardrobe (lot 58) and infant’s chair (lot 57), which fetched
€22,814 and €25,498 respectively.
Also of note were the excellent results obtained for a small Liszt table with a
circular top (lot 34), sold for €60,390 (est. €5,000-7,000); and an elegant cylindrical
cache-pot (lot 41) at €48,312 (est. €5,000-7,000).
