Armchair from the Collection of Eileen Gray, rue Bonaparte, Paris

Collection of the artist
Collection of Prunella Clough, London
Sotheby's Parke Bernet, Monaco, May 25, 1980, lot 22
Private Collection

Mo Teitelbaum, "Lady of rue Bonaparte", Sunday Times Magazine, London, June 22, 1975, p. 29 (for a photograph dated 1975 showing the present chair in the Rue Bonaparte apartment of Eileen Gray)

Overall in good condition. With minor losses to paint throughout the chair. With ana area of concentrated losses to the back of the chair. With scattered nicks, dings and scratches throughout. There is single seam seperation at the base of the backrest. It appears that the chair has been overpainted multiple times, which was likely executed throughout its history, and no doubt during the time it was in the collection of Eileen Gray. The present underseat possibly reupholstered, and appears to be lacking the original seat cushion. This chair is a unique offering by having been in the collection of the artist. The likely history of this piece, was that Gray displayed the found chair in 1923, and then she executed the openwork in the backrest at a later date. The chair then remained in her interior until her death. The chair was then offered in the well regarded 1980 auction of Eileen's Grays collection at Sotheby's Monaco. This work was one of the few works not completely executed by the artists offered in 1980, and demonstrates the high regard for this unusual work within her vast collection.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Eileen Gray challenged design convention throughout her lengthy career and was a pioneering figure in the development of early 20th century modernism.  The homes she designed became showcases of her unique minimalist vision and testaments to her innovative design aesthetic.  The present lot represents an earlier neoclassical style chair that Gray exhibited at the 1923 Salon des Artistes Décorateurs, and later modified into a distinctive modernist work by carving the armrests and backcrest with innovative openwork apertures.  This chair remained in the collection of Eileen Gray until she passed away in 1976 and was later included in the historic 1980 auction of her designs at Sotheby's saleroom in Monaco.