.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The present lot enjoys a remarkable provenance: from Mrs Paul ‘Bunny’ Mellon, one of the greatest collectors of Giacometti furniture, to the gifted designer of her many homes, Paul Leonard.
Mrs Paul ‘Bunny’ Mellon was an art collector, celebrated horticulturalist and, together with her husband, one of the most important American philanthropists and supporters of the arts. Paul Mellon’s father, Andrew Mellon, helped establish the endowment for The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., and Paul Mellon then donated what remains one of the core collections of masterpieces in America. In 1966, Paul and Bunny Mellon founded the Yale Center for British Art, designed by Louis Kahn, and donated to it their extensive collection of British art, rare books, and related archives.
The couple assembled a renowned art collection including masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Georges Seurat, Georgia O’Keeffe, Richard Diebenkorn and Diego Giacometti. Bunny Mellon forged a personal friendship with Diego Giacometti, and collected some of the most extraordinary examples of his work, including works only available through special commission from the artist. Due to her friendship with Diego Giacometti, every Giacometti work in her collection is regarded as a prime example of superlative quality, and today Bunny Mellon is considered amongst the most important of all of Diego Giacometti’s patrons. In 2014, the New York sale of Property from the Collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon: Masterworks included a number of examples of works by Diego Giacometti, all of which reached multiples of their pre-sale estimates.
With several homes to decorate to their taste, and a growing art collection to hang, Bunny soon began to work with the esteemed interior designer Paul Leonard, who went on to design interiors in Manhattan, Cape Cod, Virginia, and Antigua for Bunny over a period of more than 40 years. Most of these interiors included carefully placed and commissioned Diego Giacometti furniture. During their close professional relationship and friendship, Bunny Mellon gave to Paul Leonard the present lot, Petit guéridon aux harpies (for Cecil Beaton), as a token of appreciation for his design work. The table remained a prized possession in the Leonard residence throughout Paul Leonard’s lifetime and was photographed in the bedroom of their Connecticut home by the photographer Peter Vitale for the August 1981 issue of Architectural Digest.
Mrs Paul ‘Bunny’ Mellon was an art collector, celebrated horticulturalist and, together with her husband, one of the most important American philanthropists and supporters of the arts. Paul Mellon’s father, Andrew Mellon, helped establish the endowment for The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., and Paul Mellon then donated what remains one of the core collections of masterpieces in America. In 1966, Paul and Bunny Mellon founded the Yale Center for British Art, designed by Louis Kahn, and donated to it their extensive collection of British art, rare books, and related archives.
The couple assembled a renowned art collection including masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Georges Seurat, Georgia O’Keeffe, Richard Diebenkorn and Diego Giacometti. Bunny Mellon forged a personal friendship with Diego Giacometti, and collected some of the most extraordinary examples of his work, including works only available through special commission from the artist. Due to her friendship with Diego Giacometti, every Giacometti work in her collection is regarded as a prime example of superlative quality, and today Bunny Mellon is considered amongst the most important of all of Diego Giacometti’s patrons. In 2014, the New York sale of Property from the Collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon: Masterworks included a number of examples of works by Diego Giacometti, all of which reached multiples of their pre-sale estimates.
With several homes to decorate to their taste, and a growing art collection to hang, Bunny soon began to work with the esteemed interior designer Paul Leonard, who went on to design interiors in Manhattan, Cape Cod, Virginia, and Antigua for Bunny over a period of more than 40 years. Most of these interiors included carefully placed and commissioned Diego Giacometti furniture. During their close professional relationship and friendship, Bunny Mellon gave to Paul Leonard the present lot, Petit guéridon aux harpies (for Cecil Beaton), as a token of appreciation for his design work. The table remained a prized possession in the Leonard residence throughout Paul Leonard’s lifetime and was photographed in the bedroom of their Connecticut home by the photographer Peter Vitale for the August 1981 issue of Architectural Digest.