55 rue de Babylone, located in the center of Paris’ fashionable 7th arrondissement, is perhaps best known as the former address of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé. Before the couple moved in, the apartment belonged to Marie Cuttoli, the august designer widely recognized for reviving the Aubusson tapestry industry in the 1930s and for supporting modern artists such as Fernand Léger, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso.
Marie Cuttoli standing in front of a Fernand Léger tapestry, 1926. © Thérèse Bonney/BHVP/The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. The present console table originally belonged to Cuttoli and was installed in her rue de Babylone apartment. In 1947, Art Present magazine published a photograph showing this table flanked by two Cubist paintings. Though the designer of the table remains unknown, the sleek glass panes and brass details reflect the modernist sensibilities of avant-garde designers working in France during the 1930s. Michel Guy, former Minister of Culture in France, later acquired the table.
Provenance
Marie Cuttoli, Paris
Michel Guy, Paris
Christie's, Paris, "Arts Décoratifs du XXe siècle et Design," November 25, 2013, lot 23
Private collection, France, acquired from the above
Christie's, Paris, "Design," November 14, 2018, lot 30
Acquired from the above by the present ownerLiterature
Art Present, Paris, 1947, illustrated p. 41
Property from a Private International Collection
88
Console table
1930s
Glass, brass, painted wood.
25 1/4 x 75 x 18 in. (64.1 x 190.5 x 45.7 cm)
Estimate
$25,000 - 35,000
Benjamin Green
Associate Specialist
Associate Head of Sale
bgreen@phillips.com
+1 917 207 9090
Design
New York Auction 8 June 2023
33
This lot is no longer available.
52
This lot is no longer available.
54
This lot is no longer available.
103
This lot is no longer available.
