An important private collection of 1920s & 1930s design

NEW DELHI: The Spirit of Paris: An Important Private Collection of 1920s & 1930s Design, is a live Design auction to be held on June 6, 2022 at Rockefeller Center. The collection, assembled with great care by Christie's includes rare furniture and objets d'art that demonstrate the creative and cultural vitality of Paris in the 1920s and 1930s.

At the time, Paris led the world in all aspects of the fine and applied arts, and it became the most cosmopolitan of cities, attracting talents and visitors from all over the world, all eager to enjoy the atmosphere, experiences, and luxury that the city promised. The prestigious provenances featured in this collection, such as Jacques Doucet, Elsa Schiaparelli, and the Maharaja of Indore, demonstrate how Paris drew leading personalities in art, fashion, music, performance, and design, generating a new dynamism and cultural vibrancy.

A striking carpet of Cubist design by Ivan Da Silva Bruhns for the Maharaja of Indore and his modernist palace Manik Bagh (estimate $500,000-700,000) is a highlight of the collection.

Sonja Ganne, Chairman, Design, Christie's Paris, comments, "From the first acquisitions more than 20 years ago, the collection reveals a focused quest for the highest sophistication of French Art Deco. Embodied by the richness of extremely refined materials such as shagreen, vellum, mica, lacquer, rock crystal, straw marquetery, Makassar ebony, as well as the sleek elegance of carved oak, it shows strong cohesion, revealing a profound understanding, connoisseurship and true love for an aesthetic that speaks as much of amazing creativity and luxury, as of modernity. It tells us about a certain art de vivre that prevailed in Paris for a short period of ten years, yet still remains unique and unequalled."

Jean Dunand, with his dinanderie vases and lacquer work, Andre Groult and Marcel Coard, with their precious shagreen and macassar ebony creations, and Armand Albert Rateau, with sophisticated bronze objects, are among the French Art Deco masters represented. The auction also includes a spectacular collection of rare boxes, vanity cases, and cigarette cases by Paul Brandt, Jean Fouquet, Gerard Sandoz, Raymond Templier, and Jean Goulden, all of which exhibit a distinctively French flair in works of great refinement.

The collection features a one-of-a-kind selection of furniture, lighting, and objects by Alberto Giacometti, Jean-Michel Frank, and Salvador Dal, who defined a new sense of luxury through elegant minimalism. An exceptional straw marquetry cabinet from 1925 (estimate: $500,000 - 700,000) and a stunning mica low table (estimate: $300,000-500,000) are among the fantastic works by Jean-Michel Frank. The 'Flambeau,' 'Bilboquet,' and 'Grecque' table lamps by Alberto Giacometti are among the highlights (each estimated at $200,000 - $300,000).

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