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GIACOMETTI FURNITURE, LOTS 269-272 Diego Giacometti's work merges the world of sculpture and furniture design into one remarkable whole, brought to life by the artist's unique imagination, his sense of proportion and his profound love of the animal world as seen in the elegant lion heads of his Feuteuils à tête de lioness. Leaving the comfort of the family farm in the Swiss countryside behind him, Diego moved to Paris in 1927 at the age of 25 to join his brother, the painter and sculptor Alberto. The shared studio on the rue Hippolyte-Maindron became a hotbed of creativity as the relationship between the two flourished with each stimulating and merging the other's ideas into their work. Unlike his elder brother, however, Diego considered himself an artisan, whose only goal was to create beautiful and useful objects. His aim was to create a work of art out of a purely functional item but at the same time he was concerned that the functionality of his sculpture should never be overlooked. One of Françoise de Pfyffer's greatest friends and supporters was the internationally renowned art collector Heinz Berggruen (1914-2007), it was he who introduced her to Diego Giacometti and the two became friends. In 1975 and 1976 she visited Giacometti and purchased an interesting group of works directly from his atelier. It is from this group, listed in Berggruen's letter of 29 May 1999 (illustrated), that the following four lots originate.

Diego Giacometti (1902-1985)

Fauteuil à tête de lionnes

Details

Diego Giacometti (1902-1985)
Fauteuil à tête de lionnes
bronze with golden brown patina
31 in. (81 cm.) high; 22¼ in. 57 cm. wide; 21 in. (53 cm.) deep

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist's atelier by Françoise de Pfyffer circa 1975-1976.

Literature

M. Butor, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 1985, p. 135 (another cast illustrated).
F. Francisci, Diego Giacometti, Catalogue de l'oeuvre, vol. I, Paris, 1986, p. 70 (another version illustrated).
D. Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 1986, p. 83 (another cast illustrated).

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 20% on the buyer's premium.

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Arne Everwijn

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Lot Essay

Diego Giacometti was photographed on 9 July 1985 seated in a version of the Fauteuil à tête de lionnes, see D.Marchessaeau, Diego Giacometti, Paris, 1986, p.192.

A Fauteuil à tête de lionnes was sold from The Collection of
Gunter Sachs, Sotheby's London, 23 May 2012, lot 161, for /P109,250
(inclusive).

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