Success For The Sotheby's Paris Design Sale

Highest Total For A Design Sale In France Since 2001

Sotheby’s Paris Design sale achieved a final total of €7.8 million, the highest total for any auction in this field since the market opened in France. International buyers, many of them from Asia, attended the event in force, eager to discover fresh-to-the-market pieces with perfect provenance.

The auction included a section devoted to Alberto and Diego Giacometti on the 50th anniversary of Alberto's death. It was a triumph, totalling €3.1 million, with 100 % of lots sold and 95 % selling above their high estimates. Some forty pieces by Georges Jouve, which came from various private owners, were snapped up by collectors. The 46 lots totalled €527,000, with 80 % of the lots exceeding their estimates. The highest price of the sale went to Claude Lalanne for a Banquette Crocodile, a gilt bronze bench, (lot 150), which achieved €459,000, surpassing its estimate of €200,000–300,000.

Below are the Top 10 Lots from the Sale:

CLAUDE LALANNE BANQUETTE CROCODILE, 2007 Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 Lot Sold 459,000 EUR

DIEGO GIACOMETTI GUÉRIDON-ARBRE AU HIBOU, VERS 1980 Estimate 70,000 — 100,000 Lot Sold 435,000 EUR

DIEGO GIACOMETTI TABLE GRECQUE, VERS 1965 Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 Lot Sold 399,000 EUR

JEAN PROUVÉ BUREAU PRÉSIDENCE, VERS 1950 Estimate 300,000 — 400,000 Lot Sold 363,000 EUR

REMBRANDT BUGATTI PETITE PANTHÈRE MARCHANT, LE MODÈLE CRÉÉ EN 1904, CET EXEMPLAIRE EXÉCUTÉ EN 1908 Estimate 150,000 — 200,000 Lot Sold 327,000

ALBERTO GIACOMETTI COUPE OVALE, LE MODÈLE CRÉÉ VERS 1934 Estimate 60,000 — 80,000 Lot Sold 315,000 EUR

ALBERTO GIACOMETTI LAMPADAIRE FIGURE DIT AUSSI TÊTE DE FEMME, LE MODÈLE CRÉÉ VERS 1933-1934 Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 Lot Sold 255,000 EUR

PIERRE CHAREAU BUREAU MB 624 ET SON TABOURET SN 3, VERS 1929 Estimate 200,000 — 300,000 Lot Sold 243,000 EUR

CLAUDE LALANNE PAIRE DE CANDÉLABRES STRUCTURES VÉGÉTALES, VERS 1980 Estimate 100,000 — 150,000 Lot Sold 243,000 EUR

DIEGO GIACOMETTI TABLE AUX CERFS ET AUX CHIENS, 1978 Estimate 120,000 — 150,000 Lot Sold 231,000 EUR