Jean-Michel Frank - Design New York Thursday, June 9, 2016 | Phillips
  • Provenance

    Carlos María de Alvear, Palacio Sans Souci, Buenos Aires, circa 1932
    Eduardo Durini, through acquisition of the palace, 1960s
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Literature

    Léopold Diego Sanchez, Jean-Michel Frank, Adolphe Chanaux, Paris, 1997, pp. 69, 146, 167, 199, 208 for similar examples
    Pierre-Emmanuel Martin-Vivier, Jean-Michel Frank: The Strange and Subtle Luxury of the Parisian Haute-Monde in the Art Deco Period, New York, 2006, pp. 28, 68, 131, 149, 162, 216, 293 for similar examples

  • Catalogue Essay

    In 1911 Carlos María de Alvear, an Argentinian aristocrat, commissioned French architect René Sergent to design Palacio Sans Souci, the former’s residence in the city of Victoria, now a northern neighborhood of Greater Buenos Aires. Years later when Ignacio Pirovano, founder of the furniture maker and retailer Comte, shared his passion for the work of Jean-Michel Frank with his cousin Carlos María de Alvear, the latter began acquiring the designer’s work. Three decades later art patron Eduardo Durini and his wife acquired Palacio Sans Souci and undertook a process of restoration during which Frank’s work was deaccessioned.

  • Artist Biography

    Jean-Michel Frank

    French • 1895 - 1941

    Working in Paris, New York and Argentina, Jean-Michel Frank designed subtle, exquisitely proportioned furniture and lighting for sophisticated interiors. His elite roster of patrons included the vicomte Charles de Noailles, the businessman and politician Nelson A. Rockefeller, the couturier Elsa Schiaparelli and the perfumer Guerlain, among many others. Against the backdrop of the interwar period, Frank designed calm, subdued interiors that offered refuge from the chaotic world. His furniture, which was often clad in vellum, bleached leather or shagreen, featured clean lines and served to complement the art collections of his clients, which included works by Picasso, Léger and Matisse.

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20

Pair of guéridons, from the Palacio Sans Souci, Buenos Aires

circa 1932
Brass.
Each: 28 3/8 in. (72.1 cm) high, 15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm) diameter
Produced by Comte, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Together with a certificate of authenticity from the Comité Jean-Michel Frank.

Estimate
$30,000 - 40,000 

Sold for $62,500

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New York Auction 9 June 2016