Lot 934
  • 934

Diego Giacometti

Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
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Description

  • Diego Giacometti
  • Table Basse Trapezoidale, Modèle aux Hiboux et aux Grenouilles
  • bronze and glass
  • 42.5 by 60 by 55cm., 16 3/4 by 23 5/8 by 21 5/8 in.
  • Conceived circa 1969.

Provenance

Robert & Rena Lewin (Brook Street Gallery), London (acquired in the 1970s)
Sotheby's, London, 4 February 2004, lot 291

Literature

Michel Butor, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 1985, illustrations of another example pp. 109 & 125
Françoise Francisci, Diego Giacometti, Catalogue de l'œuvre, Paris, 1986, vol. I,  illustration of another example pp. 104-05
Daniel Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 1986, illustrations of another example pp. 84-85
Christian Boutonnet & Rafael Ortiz, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 2003, illustration in colour of another example p. 71

Condition

Dark brown and green variegated patina. Apart from some wear to the patina, consistent with age and handling, this work is in very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Diego Giacometti was undoubtedly one of the most inventive and exciting creators of furniture working in post-war Paris. His idiosyncratic style of elegant, practical furniture wrought in bronze, and incorporating a magical menagerie of animals from giraffes to toads, was initially explored through private commissions from friends such as Aimé and Marguerite Maeght during the 1960s. Following his brother Alberto’s death in 1965, Giacometti attended a few life-model classes at the Scandinavian Academy, but nonetheless remained resolutely devoted to portraying animals, rather than the human figure which only rarely featured in his work. Table basse trapezoidale, modèle aux hiboux et aux grenouilles and Table basse exemplify the charming manner in which Giacometti integrated perfectly formed sculptures of animals into the decorative scheme of the overall design.

Discussing Giacometti’s mastery of form and the distinct qualities of the patina of his works, Jean Leymarie writes: ‘Like artists of the past, for whom the need for precise measurements were totally foreign, he had an unfailing sense of proportion. If it is true that architecture, as Michelangelo said, reflects the proportions of man, then seat furniture and tables – architectural reductions – are necessarily regulated by the manifestation and proportions of the human body. Diego mastered all phases of production of the ancient and noble technique of bronze casting, from plaster models, to uneven patinas, his trademark and his secret. After they are fired, his objects preserve in their texture the lively movements of his fingers, and each replica has its own distinct tonality’ (J. Leymarie, in Daniel Marchesseau,  Diego Giacometti¸ New York, 1986, p. 17).