A Fine Selection by Vincent Frey and Bianca Lee Vasquez

As an artist, how did you design your interior? Did your work influence the decor?

In time, it just came together naturally from our love of simple natural forms - like rocks, plants and seashells. We assembled found objects, functional furniture, plants endemic to Latin America, and some of my old sculptures that I don't want to see in my studio anymore. It's a space with a lot of light and people too; we have friends coming over very often. It's a place where we can gather, meditate, play music, have tea ceremonies, parties and dance. We have these great 1930s verrier windows, but the view looks over the courtyard, so we have long beige linen Braquenié curtains throughout to catch the light but block out the view of our neighbors windows.

Most of our furniture is vintage, from Drouot or family hand me downs. Our newest pieces are our wooden bookshelves designed by Eleonora Santucci. When we first moved into this space my husband's father gave us some of his old 60s and 70s furniture that we reupholstered with neutral Pierre Frey linen textiles. At home we only have linen textiles as it is one of the most eco-friendly fabrics, grown locally in France and with very little water. I have a deep connection to nature, its forms, shapes and contours and that is what I want to be reminded of when my family and I are spending time inside our home. I try to distill the essence of my experiences from the outdoors into our interior habitat.

You come from a family that embodies creativity and French “Art de vivre”, how do you feel about mixing traditional furniture with contemporary pieces?

My family is Cuban-Ecuadorian and Vincent's is French but our home doesn't really reflect either of our origins. We prefer to stay neutral and appreciate elemental beauty when at home. I feel our neutral space was an ideal setting to integrate Sotheby's 18th-century furniture pieces. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to see the magnificent French craftsmanship that went into every piece up close. I have discovered a new appreciation for French and German 18th-century furniture and decorative art.

Can you tell us more about you work as an artist?

My work is multidisciplinary - from performance, photography and sculpture, to video and performative installations. Revealing contemplative interactions between the body and the natural world. My practice is very much oriented on ritual, weaving webs between flora, corporeality and the unconscious in promotion of establishing bonds with the land. My latest sculptures in terracotta mingles with planthropocene: a body of thought and practice that prioritizes and fosters the intertwined relationship between plants and people.

Past Auction

Style - Mobilier et Objets d’Art

12–19 November 2020 | 3:00 PM CET | Paris