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Lot Essay
Alberto Giacometti is recognized as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Son of an impressionist painter, Giacometti revealed a precocious artistic talent, and throughout his career, he drew on the influence of cubism, surrealism, and ancient European and African art. Giacometti's involvement with the decorative arts started in the 1930s at the beginning of his repute, when he started to collaborate with the internationally acclaimed decorator Jean-Michel Frank. Giacometti designed beautiful pieces of furniture for Frank's signature interiors, characterized by extreme simplicity of forms and limited colors. Originally almost anonymous contributions, Giacometti's original designs were sought after by the Parisian elite, and together with Frank, they decorated the most prestigious apartments.
After studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Geneva, Giacometti installed himself in his mythic studio at 46 rue Hippolyte-Maindron where he would spend the rest of his life. When Giacometti began creating decorative arts for Jean-Michel Frank, it was first for economic necessity. The decorator was fond of the intense but simple shapes imagined by Giacometti when he sculpted Reclining Woman. More than a working relationship, both forged a strong friendship that ended with Jean-Michel Frank's death. For Frank’s work, Giacometti designed his most emblematic decorative arts. Indeed, his « utilitarian objects, » as he would define them, stretched the boundaries of both design and sculpture and exemplified the essence of Giacometti's style, an exciting mix of surrealism influence and admiration for elongated human forms. Celebrities such as Nelson Rockefeller or the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli commissioned the iconic duo to decorate their homes.
The present lot, coming from a member of the Matisse family, is an exceptional example of one of Giacometti’s most iconic design creation, and epitomizes his incomparable collaboration with Jean-Michel Frank.
After studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Geneva, Giacometti installed himself in his mythic studio at 46 rue Hippolyte-Maindron where he would spend the rest of his life. When Giacometti began creating decorative arts for Jean-Michel Frank, it was first for economic necessity. The decorator was fond of the intense but simple shapes imagined by Giacometti when he sculpted Reclining Woman. More than a working relationship, both forged a strong friendship that ended with Jean-Michel Frank's death. For Frank’s work, Giacometti designed his most emblematic decorative arts. Indeed, his « utilitarian objects, » as he would define them, stretched the boundaries of both design and sculpture and exemplified the essence of Giacometti's style, an exciting mix of surrealism influence and admiration for elongated human forms. Celebrities such as Nelson Rockefeller or the fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli commissioned the iconic duo to decorate their homes.
The present lot, coming from a member of the Matisse family, is an exceptional example of one of Giacometti’s most iconic design creation, and epitomizes his incomparable collaboration with Jean-Michel Frank.