Press release : Sales from December 27 to 31, 2025 - General Press Release
Sales from December 27 to 31, 2025 - General Press Release
Sold for : 160020€
As part of its traditional end-of-year sales, Besch Cannes Auction sold two major collections on December 30, one of which is an exceptional example of 20th-century French decorative art : the furnishings of a Cannes apartment preserved in its original configuration, entirely designed and decorated on site by Jules Leleu (1883-1961).
The second collection, belonging to a collector from Cannes, presented a different universe, revealing a unique and daring perspective. It included works by Wilfried Lam (1902–1982), Valerio Adami (born in 1935), César (1921–1998), Arman (1928–2005), Combas (born in 1957) and a Mazarin desk attributed to Nicolas Sageot (1666-1731). The collection was appealing for its eclecticism, elegance and the strength of the choices that made it up.
This important bronze sculpture with a brown patina, ‘Diana Noli Tangere, 1986’ by Arman (1928-2005), is one of Arman's iconic figures, in which the artist gives this Diana a majestic and vibrant presence through the cutting of the bronze. Based on the famous Diana of Gabii, it revisits the ancient canon, infusing it with a contemporary dynamic. (Sold for 81534€ - lot 129).
A major artist of the New Realism movement, César (1921–1998) is famous for his bronze and welded metal sculptures, created from industrial objects and materials. This ‘Pair of candlesticks with self-portrait, circa 1989’ in welded bronze with a brown patina combines sculpture and everyday objects. It is referred to as a self-portrait because César stylised his own face, inscribing his presence in a work that is both personal and functional (Sold for 50800€ - 139).
A major figure in European painting, Valerio Adami, born in 1935, is renowned for his graphic style featuring bold blocks of colour and powerful black outlines. In ‘Bookseller’, an oil on canvas signed and titled, he depicts two stylised figures in a narrative universe where lines and colours structure the space. This work perfectly illustrates his pictorial language, combining rigour, symbolism and visual poetry (Sold for 36830€ - Lot 124).
Robert Combas, born in 1957, revisits a fruit bowl here in a joyful and deliberately kitsch motif. With his bright colours and characteristic black outlines, he transforms this classic theme into a scene full of energy and humour. The bowl thus becomes an expressive object, faithful to the playful spirit of Figuration Libre. (Sold for 44450€ - Lot 148).
A Mazarin desk decorated with foliage, clasps, stylised roses and copper filigree, enhanced with mother-of-pearl, was one of the pieces that completed this set. This work is similar to a group of finely decorated Boulle marquetry furniture in the first part, stamped or attributed to Nicolas Sageot (1666-1731). The quality of the workmanship reflects the exceptional skill of the great cabinetmakers in terms of its refinement, rarity and the scale of its decoration (Sold for 40640€ - Lot 138).
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Press contact : Isabelle de Puysegur - Tel : 33(0)6 60 57 58 78 - i.puysegur@wanadoo.fr
