Lot Essay
(fig. 1) Diego Giacometti and Renate Shapiro with the present lot.
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Property from the Collection of Renate and Sidney Shapiro
It was a marriage of love and complete sharing. The Renate and Sidney Shapiro collection is a reflection of the couple's deep love for each other. Married fifty years, Renate and Sidney started to collect as a way to explore New York culture, the arts and world travel, later inspiring their two sons.
Featuring prestigious examples of modern, contemporary and African Art, the Shapiro collection is like a journey around the world, and includes examples of works by artists as various as Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Diego Giacometti and Manuel Rivera.
Passionate collectors, the Shapiros recognized that selecting the right art required time and careful research. Early on, a simple rule was established for all acquisitions--they both had to agree the art was exceptional, no matter how many steps they had had to climb to visit an artist's studio!
For her birthday, Renate would say to Sidney, "Don't buy me jewelry, buy us art." On one occasion, Sidney, a successful home fashion designer and manufacturer, surprised Renate with a silver necklace by Alexander Calder (see Post-War and Contemporary Art Morning Session lot 140), that she often wore.
Sidney and Renate would meet the artists personally whenever possible before acquiring their work. They traveled to Paris to meet Diego Giacometti before purchasing his L'Autruche and Table grecque, modèle carré.
Renate and Sidney's interest in contemporary art blossomed in the late 1970's as they were early supporters and advocates of The New Museum for Contemporary Art. As a result, the Shapiros added works to the collection by many of the best-known contemporary artists of the period, including William Anastasi, Ann Hamilton, Keith Haring, Anish Kapoor, Robert Longo, Mario Merz, Julian Schnabel and Daisy Youngblood.
Diego Giacometti (1902-1985)
L'Autruche
Details
Diego Giacometti (1902-1985)
L'Autruche
stamped 'DIEGO' and with monogram 'DG' (on the underside of the tail)
bronze with green and black patina and ostrich egg
Height: 19 in. (48.3 cm.)
Conceived circa 1977; this bronze version cast by 1985
L'Autruche
stamped 'DIEGO' and with monogram 'DG' (on the underside of the tail)
bronze with green and black patina and ostrich egg
Height: 19 in. (48.3 cm.)
Conceived circa 1977; this bronze version cast by 1985
Provenance
Gift from the artist to the family of the present owner.
Literature
F. Francisci, Diego Giacometti, Catalogue de l'oeuvre, Paris, 1986 vol. I, p. 115 (another version illustrated, p. 20).
D. Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, New York, 1986, p. 124 (another version illustrated).
D. Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, New York, 1986, p. 124 (another version illustrated).