While Alberto Giacometti first designed the Étoile table lamp circa 1935, following his death in 1966, his brother Diego continued to cast the model along with his own original furniture and lighting designs. A handwritten note signed and dated by Diego attests that the artist sold the present example, along with a Figure floor lamp and a Berceau low table, to Irvin Shapiro in 1969. Shapiro may have crossed paths with the artist through his work as a producer and distributor of foreign films. His company, Films Around the World, introduced American audiences to the work of French filmmakers such as Jean Renoir and Jean-Luc Godard, among others.
Label from Diego Giacometti to Irvin Shapiro, circa 1969. Image courtesy: the Estate of Diana Shapiro. Provenance
Diana and Irvin Shapiro, New York, acquired directly from Diego Giacometti, 1969
Literature
Gaston Diehl, “Le 32e Salon des Artistes Décorateurs,” Art et Décoration, 1946, p. 46
Léopold Diego Sanchez, Jean-Michel Frank, Paris, 1980, p. 200
Daniel Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, Catalogue de l'oeuvre, Paris, 1986, p. 32
François Baudot, Jean-Michael Frank, New York, 1999, p. 76
Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco Period, New York, 2008, p. 347Catalogue Essay
The present lot is registered by the Fondation Alberto and Annette Giacometti in the online Alberto Giacometti Database (AGD) under the number AGD 4638.
Property from the Estate of Diana F. Shapiro
24
"Étoile" table lamp
designed circa 1935, cast circa 1969
Patinated bronze, paper shade.
Height of cast: 16 1/8 in. (41 cm)
Underside impressed AG 072 by the Comité Giacometti. Together with a certificate of authenticity from the Comité Giacometti.
Estimate
$100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $165,100
Benjamin Green
Associate Specialist
Associate Head of Sale
bgreen@phillips.com
+1 917 207 9090
Design
New York Auction 5 June 2024
