RELEASE: Collection Jacques Dupin, Paris 28 May and 4 June 2013

Collection Jacques Dupin

Christie’s Paris May 28^th and June 4^th 2013

Paris - Christie’s France is honoured to announce the sale of a selection of exceptional works by Joan Miró, Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon from the collection of the poet Jacques Dupin. Biographer, dealer, art critic and above all artists’ friend, he shared their lives over several decades. To be offered in Paris on the 28^th of May (Impressionist and Modern Art sale) and the 4^th of June (Post-War and Contemporary Art sale), the six works as a group are expected to achieve between €7.1 and €10.4 million.

In 1955, Jacques Dupin joined the Galerie Maeght-Lelong, at the time the most important gallery of contemporary art in the world. Under his direction, Maeght editions rapidly grew into one of the most important print publishers, with more than 12.000 works by Calder, Miró, Giacometti, Tàpies, Chillida, and Chagall among others. When Aimé Maeght passed away in 1981, Jacques Dupin took the helm of the gallery together with Daniel Lelong and Jean Frémon.

Concurrently with his work as an art dealer, Jacques Dupin continued to dedicate himself to poetry and writing. His first collection of poems, Cendrier du Voyage, was published in 1950, with a preface by René Char. Dupin quickly became an emblematic figure of the Paris literary and artistic scene, and notably in 1953 he met Alberto Giacometti. They rapidly developed a friendship which allowed the poet to visit the artist’s studio each week, sitting as his model on multiple occasions. In 1961, Dupin wrote one of the first monographs on Giacometti, and in 1978, with the help of his friend Michel Leiris, organized a dedicated show at Maeght-Lelong. Two major works by Alberto Giacometti will be offered on May the 28^th in Paris: Tête noire, a captivating oil on canvas dating from 1958, which was showcased in the famous Giacometti exhibition held at the Centre Georges Pompidou in 1991; and Femme debout, a richly patinated bronze conceived circa 1947, the year in which Giacometti settled on his visionary, weightless approach to sculpture.

Jacques Dupin and Joan Miró met in 1954 and soon started to study the Catalan painter’s oeuvre in depth, publishing in 1961 a book which illuminated both the importance of his work and his leading part in Modern and Contemporary Art. Dupin, thereafter and until his death, handled the publication of the artist’s catalogue raisonné. A painting and two works on paper each of remarkable scale will be offered in the May Impressionist and Modern Art sale: Femmes et oiseaux dans la nuit , Personnages, oiseaux, chien and Femme, oiseaux. Executed in the 1970s, the three works are each emblematic of a period highly appreciated by Jacques Dupin, who on the occasion of the Grand Palais exhibition in 1974, characterised such works as possessing “the breath and excitement of an unattached present which gushes with signs and colors, the black triumphant, the gesture full and free”.

The first meeting of Jacques Dupin with Francis Bacon dates from 1965, through an introduction by Isabel Rawsthorne. Their fruitful relationship resulted in three retrospective exhibitions (in 1966, 1984 and 1987) and various critical essays on the painter’s work written by Dupin, and from Bacon a portrait in oil depicting the poet, now on view at the Museum of Amiens. Along with Michel Leiris and Gilles Deleuze, Dupin was one of Bacon’s principle supporters in France, contributing significantly to his visibility and renown. An exceptional work by the artist, Painting March 1985, will be offered in the June Contemporary Art auction in Paris. Exhibited in 1987 at the Galerie Lelong on the occasion of the exhibition Francis Bacon – Peintures récentes before joining Jacques Dupin’s personal collection, this painting takes Bacon’s exploration of the representation of flesh to a radical new level.

Notes to the editors:

Impressionist and Modern Art sale: Tuesday May 28^th 2013 at 4pm

Exhibition: Saturday May 25^th from 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday May 26^th from 2pm to 6pm, Monday May 27^th from 10 am to 6 pm and Tuesday May 28^th from 10 am to 2 pm.

Contemporary Art sale: Tuesday June 4th 2013 at 7pm

Exhibition: Saturday June 1st from 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday June 2^nd from 2pm to 6pm, Monday June 3rd from 10 am to 6 pm and Tuesday June 4th from 10 am to 6pm.

Exhibition in New York:  From May 4th to May 15th 2013

Exhibition in London: From April 4th to April 7th 2013  

Christie’s Paris: 9, avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris

Christie’s New York: 20, Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10020

Christie’s London: 8, King Street, St James, London, SW1Y 6QT

Collection Jacques Dupin

Christie’s Paris May 28th and June 4th 2013

CONTACT:

                            Beverly Bueninck | +33 (0)1 40 76 84 08 | bbueninck@christies.com

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Christie’s, the world's leading art business, had global auction and private sales in 2012 that totaled £3.92 billion/$6.27 billion. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Founded in 1766 by James Christie, Christie's has since conducted the greatest and most celebrated auctions through the centuries providing a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers over 450 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie's also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War and Contemporary, Impressionist and Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery. Private sales totaled £631.3 million/$1 billion in 2012, an increase of 26% on the same period last year.

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*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and do not reflect costs, financing fees or application of buyer’s or seller’s credits.

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