Claude Lalanne – Unique Structure Vegetale bed. UPDATE: THIS MADE £889,000
Prices everywhere are skyrocketing so how about a bed for €346,000. Not imaginary, not just any old bed and probably not a bad investment. The Unique Structure Vegetale bed in gold patinated bronze was commissioned directly from Claude Lalanne in 2012 by Pauline Karpidas. It is described by Sotheby’s, who estimate it at £200,000-£300,000 (€230,880-€346,000), as a fusion of nature, surrealism and personal sanctuary.
Pauline Karpidas first met the Lalannes – Francois Xavier (1927-2008) and Claude (1924-2019) – in 1978 at their magical home and workshop at Ury, outside Paris, in 1978. Long before they became synonymous with global superstardom in the worlds of art and interiors she was one of their first collectors. No less than 60 works by Les Lalannes, including many uniquely designed commissions, will feature at Sotheby’s day and evening sales of her collection on September 17 and 18 and the online sale which runs from September 8 until September 19.
Claude Lalanne – detail, Structure Vegetale
The Surrealistic contents of the London home of this trailblazing collector, 250 lots with an estimate of £60 million (€69.34 million) in total, constitute the most valuable designated collection ever to be offered in Europe. She shares with Les Lalannes a knack of seamlessly merging high art and functional living and the sale offers masterpieces by Hans Bellmer, Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, René Magritte, Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons.
Leonora Carrington – The Hour of the Angelus. UPDATE: THIS MADE £952,500
Among them are La Statue volante (The Flying Statue), one of Magritte’s most enigmatic paintings from the last decade of his career (£9 million – £12 million)(€10.4 million – €13.87 million). A 1949 work by Leonora Carrington, The Hour of the Angelus (£600,000-£800,000)(€693,420-€924,560) reflects the inspiration she drew from Mexico’s traditions where Aztec, Mayan and Catholic beliefs coexisted in harmony. It echoes the myths passed down to Carrington by her Irish grandmother. The treasure trove of paintings includes two works by Andy Warhol inspired by Munch, his favourite artist alongside Henri Matisse.
The Manchester born collector credits her late husband Constantine (Dinos) Karpidas, a Greek shipping magnate, with opening her eyes to the beauty of wonderful things. After coming face to face with exceptional Surrealist paintings at the Athens home of gallerist Alexander Iolas in 1974 her love of art took on an entirely new life. She studied Surrealism, visiting galleries and libraries and museums and became friends with Les Lalanne, Warhol and others along the way. This is the lifetime journey of a true collector who honed her eye and her sensibility as she delved deep into her subject.
An immersive exhibition telling the story of the journey of Pauline Karpidas over half a century gets underway at Sotheby’s in London on September 8.
Rene Magritte – La Statue volante. UPDATE: THIS MADE £10,120,000
