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Lot Essay
“If there is one man in our time who has taken the artistry of metal to extremes, it is Jean Dunand.”
- Ivanhoé Rambosson in “Le Décor géométrique et les Laques dans l’œuvre de Dunand, ” L’Amour de l’Art, Paris, July 1923
Few artists of the 20th century mastered the relationship between material, form and surface with the confidence and sensitivity of Jean Dunand. A sculptor, metalsmith, and lacquer artist, he is one of the most visionary designers of the Art Deco era who transformed every technique he touched into a discipline of extraordinary precision. The lacquer and eggshell vases and furniture from the celebrated Edlis Neeson Collection presented here stand among the most refined expressions of his work.
Born in Switzerland, Dunand trained as a sculptor before turning to metalwork. After moving to Paris in 1902, he entered the workshop of Jean Dampt and quickly became known for his mastery of repoussé and metal chasing. By 1915, his dinanderie (hammered and patinated metal vessels) had begun to simplify in both form and decoration. Ornament was reduced, surfaces became more polished, and shapes grew more architectural. This evolution in his metalwork prepared him for the major shift in his career that began in 1912, when he met the Japanese lacquer master Seizo Sugawara.
Sugawara introduced Dunand not only to the technical foundations of lacquer but also to a new way of thinking about surface and time. Lacquer required the slow building of many layers, each one applied and polished in succession. Dunand embraced this process fully. While many modern artists explored abstraction through painting, Dunand achieved abstraction materially, constructing it through the layered skin of the object itself. His vases exist at the intersection of sculpture and painting, volume and surface, modernity and craft.
Dunand’s use of eggshell inlay was equally groundbreaking. He refined this demanding technique to a level unmatched in the West. Under his hand, eggshell became a structural component—tiny fragments forming a crackled, mosaic-like surface set into lacquer. The geometric order of these patterns places them firmly within modern design, while their natural irregularity evokes organic processes of fracture and growth. In the Edlis Neeson group, some vessels display exceptionally fine, almost textile-like eggshell fields. Others feature more varied patterns that give the surface a lively, shimmering texture. This balance between control and spontaneity reflects Dunand’s belief in materials as active and living elements: a philosophy that shaped his entire career. The importance of this group of works lies not only in their artistry but also in their exceptional provenance, connected to two of the most significant collectors of French modernism.
Steven A. Greenberg was one of the first American collectors to give French Art Deco serious scholarly attention. His collection, assembled with remarkable care, played a major role in restoring Dunand’s reputation and bringing his work into the spotlight when it was sold at Christie's New York in 2012. Greenberg’s focus on pieces that demonstrated the clarity and innovation of Dunand’s lacquer helped set a standard for museums and private collectors.
The Edlis Neeson Collection, assembled by Chicago philanthropists Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, reflects a similar commitment to excellence across periods and disciplines. Known especially for their postwar and contemporary eye, Edlis and Neeson also collected Art Deco masterpieces with great discernment. Their interest in Dunand’s vessels aligns with their broader appreciation for artists, such as Johns, Lichtenstein, and Koons, who explore materiality, surface, and perception.
Together, these two collecting traditions form a lineage of modern taste. Their shared vision has shaped how Dunand is understood today and ensured that his finest works remain accessible to scholars and the public. The Dunand vases that moved from the Greenberg Collection into the Edlis Neeson Collection reflect this continuity and highlight the enduring relevance of his work.
The present group offers a rare opportunity to appreciate Dunand’s achievement in depth. Each vase has its own character, rhythm, glow, and balance. Yet together they reflect the development of an artist who transformed an ancient craft into a foundation of modern art. These objects hold deep scholarly importance and strong sensory appeal. They demonstrate that modernism is not only an idea but a material reality, one that Dunand defined with exceptional clarity through lacquer, eggshell, and the luminous surfaces that remain his legacy.
- Ivanhoé Rambosson in “Le Décor géométrique et les Laques dans l’œuvre de Dunand, ” L’Amour de l’Art, Paris, July 1923
Few artists of the 20th century mastered the relationship between material, form and surface with the confidence and sensitivity of Jean Dunand. A sculptor, metalsmith, and lacquer artist, he is one of the most visionary designers of the Art Deco era who transformed every technique he touched into a discipline of extraordinary precision. The lacquer and eggshell vases and furniture from the celebrated Edlis Neeson Collection presented here stand among the most refined expressions of his work.
Born in Switzerland, Dunand trained as a sculptor before turning to metalwork. After moving to Paris in 1902, he entered the workshop of Jean Dampt and quickly became known for his mastery of repoussé and metal chasing. By 1915, his dinanderie (hammered and patinated metal vessels) had begun to simplify in both form and decoration. Ornament was reduced, surfaces became more polished, and shapes grew more architectural. This evolution in his metalwork prepared him for the major shift in his career that began in 1912, when he met the Japanese lacquer master Seizo Sugawara.
Sugawara introduced Dunand not only to the technical foundations of lacquer but also to a new way of thinking about surface and time. Lacquer required the slow building of many layers, each one applied and polished in succession. Dunand embraced this process fully. While many modern artists explored abstraction through painting, Dunand achieved abstraction materially, constructing it through the layered skin of the object itself. His vases exist at the intersection of sculpture and painting, volume and surface, modernity and craft.
Dunand’s use of eggshell inlay was equally groundbreaking. He refined this demanding technique to a level unmatched in the West. Under his hand, eggshell became a structural component—tiny fragments forming a crackled, mosaic-like surface set into lacquer. The geometric order of these patterns places them firmly within modern design, while their natural irregularity evokes organic processes of fracture and growth. In the Edlis Neeson group, some vessels display exceptionally fine, almost textile-like eggshell fields. Others feature more varied patterns that give the surface a lively, shimmering texture. This balance between control and spontaneity reflects Dunand’s belief in materials as active and living elements: a philosophy that shaped his entire career. The importance of this group of works lies not only in their artistry but also in their exceptional provenance, connected to two of the most significant collectors of French modernism.
Steven A. Greenberg was one of the first American collectors to give French Art Deco serious scholarly attention. His collection, assembled with remarkable care, played a major role in restoring Dunand’s reputation and bringing his work into the spotlight when it was sold at Christie's New York in 2012. Greenberg’s focus on pieces that demonstrated the clarity and innovation of Dunand’s lacquer helped set a standard for museums and private collectors.
The Edlis Neeson Collection, assembled by Chicago philanthropists Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, reflects a similar commitment to excellence across periods and disciplines. Known especially for their postwar and contemporary eye, Edlis and Neeson also collected Art Deco masterpieces with great discernment. Their interest in Dunand’s vessels aligns with their broader appreciation for artists, such as Johns, Lichtenstein, and Koons, who explore materiality, surface, and perception.
Together, these two collecting traditions form a lineage of modern taste. Their shared vision has shaped how Dunand is understood today and ensured that his finest works remain accessible to scholars and the public. The Dunand vases that moved from the Greenberg Collection into the Edlis Neeson Collection reflect this continuity and highlight the enduring relevance of his work.
The present group offers a rare opportunity to appreciate Dunand’s achievement in depth. Each vase has its own character, rhythm, glow, and balance. Yet together they reflect the development of an artist who transformed an ancient craft into a foundation of modern art. These objects hold deep scholarly importance and strong sensory appeal. They demonstrate that modernism is not only an idea but a material reality, one that Dunand defined with exceptional clarity through lacquer, eggshell, and the luminous surfaces that remain his legacy.