Press article : From a Lalanne bear to zinnias by Van Cleef - La Gazette Drouot
From a Lalanne bear to zinnias by Van Cleef - La Gazette Drouot
- 5/10/24
- Paintings
- XX° century
Sold for : 339090€
Standing on his hind legs, it was a small bronze bear signed by François-Xavier Lalanne that topped the podium in Cannes, after fetching 339090€. A true cousin of the ursidae created by François Pompon, with its very smooth skin, this bronze print with a beautiful dark patina, numbered 5/8, dates from around 1996 (see Gazette no. 16, page 128).
François-Xavier Lalanne (1927-2008)
Little bear, circa 1996
Proof in patinated bronze, numbered 5/8, 50 x 25 x 25 cm.
Sold for 339090€
Other nuggets were on display, starting with a landscape that is emblematic of the art of Eugène Boudin, Le Rivage de Trouville. Considered the great precursor of Impressionism, Boudin painted this canvas (37 x 58 cm) in 1874, which fetched 120650€. It is of course listed in Robert Schmit's sum, Eugène Boudin 1824-1898 (Paris, 1973, vol. I) under no. 1014. Another sacred monster of French painting worked alongside him : Pierre-Auguste Renoir, in his role as attentive family portraitist. Full of freshness, Coco in Profile, 1901-1902, is a monogrammed canvas (12.2 x 10.3 cm) that Ambroise Vollard acquired from the artist in 1909. Here, it has been sold for 62865€. Another painting entitled Tête de jeune fille (11.5 x 8.5 cm), acquired around 1906, fetched 37600€. These two works will be included in the digital catalogue raisonné currently being prepared by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute. On the other hand, the two paintings by Raoul Dufy presented in Gazette no. 16 (page 21), Hommage à Mozart and Le Dépicage bleu, were not sold...
Monday April 29th was devoted to the dispersal of several jewel cases, the most sumptuous of which was the spectacular platinum and gold ‘Zinnias’ clip by Van Cleef and Arpels, in platinum and gold, reproduced in Gazette No. 17 (page 86). Dating from 1953, it features petals set with 70 bright red rubies, probably of Burmese origin, totalling around 34 cts, each centred with a 0,80 ct brilliant-cut diamond, in addition to 5,50 cts of calibrated and brilliant-cut diamonds.
Out of its pouch, this dazzling bracelet created by Van Cleef & Arpels, of the ‘Ruban bombé’ model, sparkled in all its splendour for 101600€. Part of the ‘Collection blanche haute joaillerie’, the bracelet takes up the codes of one of the great traditions of the Parisian house : ‘white’ jewellery, both in terms of the setting and the stones. The luxurious accessory is composed of curved, articulated links in platinum and gold, and is set entirely with extra-white diamonds totalling around 32 ct (17.5 x 1.5 cm, weight 90,65 g).
Characteristic of the urban theme so dear to its creator, this Composition by Léopold Survage (1879-1968) achieved a result of 37975€. The oil on canvas (60 x 40 cm) was created in 1920, the year in which the Finnish-born painter born in Finland and based in Paris, founded the Section d'Or art group, a post-Cubist movement that included Albert Gleizes, Georges Braque and Louis Marcoussis, among others. The following year, he took part in the memorable exhibition entitled ‘Les masters of cubism", organised by the avant-garde gallery L'Effort moderne.
Acquired by its former owner directly from the artist, this Tête de cheval signed by Diego Giacometti (1902-1985) was created around 1965, and has a price tag of 38355€. It is a bronze with an antique green patina, based on the artist's original plaster cast (h. 21,5 cm), and with a minimum of means it captures all the vitality of the equine. A similar piece can be found in the book Diego Giacometti by Christian Boutonnet, Rafael Ortiz and James Lord (éditions de l'Amateur - Galerie L'Arc en Seine, 2003).
In the years 1870-1880, Armand Guillaumin (1841-1927) often set up his easel in the Paris region, notably in Pontoise, alongside his friend Pissarro... As witness this Village en Ile-de-France, a canvas painted around 1885 (73 x 92 cm), which seduced one of his admirers for 50800€. After passing through the Durand-Ruel gallery, it was honoured at the Armand Guillaumin centenary exhibition in 1941, at the Raphael gallery in Paris. Finally, it will be reproduced in Volume II of the artist's catalogue raisonné, currently being prepared by the Guillaumin committee.
CANNES, APRIL 28 AND 29. BESCH CANNES AUCTION OVV. MM. DE GARO, SCHOELLER.
LA GAZETTE DROUOT N° 19 OF MAY 10TH, 2024 pages 140-141
