Beschreibung:

Diego Giacometti 'Têtes de lionnes' armchair, second version circa 1969 Patinated bronze, wrought iron, leather. 81.3 x 55.9 x 57.2 cm (32 x 22 x 22 1/2 in.)
Provenance Lee Kolker, acquired directly from the artist, circa 1969 Thence by descent to Mr. and Mrs. Blum, New York, 1980 DeLorenzo Gallery, 1991 Private collection, Colorado, 1991 Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2009 Literature Michel Butor, Diego Giacometti Paris, 1985, pp. 116, 131, 139 Françoise Francisci, Diego Giacometti Catalogue de l’œuvre, Volume I, Paris, 1986, p. 70 Daniel Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti Paris, 1986, pp. 83, 177, 192 François Baudot, Diego Giacometti Paris, 1998, p. 75 Christian Boutonnet and Rafael Ortiz, Diego Giacometti exh. cat., Galerie l'Arc en Seine, Paris, 2003, pp. 10, 54 Catalogue Essay In 1935 Diego Giacometti took a holiday in Stampa, the Swiss town in which he grew up. The trip marked one of the first periods in which he was separated from Alberto Giacometti and perhaps in connection with having removed himself from the shadow of his brother’s career, he began his first animal sculptures. It was shortly after this trip that the younger Giacometti also started making furniture, after patrons admired the stands that he was crafting for his brother’s sculptures. The present chair form is one of his earliest functional works. The lion’s head finials were a later adaptation. Lee Kolker was a close friend of Diego Giacometti who had over eighty of his works in his personal collection. He gave the present lot as a gift to his daughter in 1979. Read More Artist Bio Diego Giacometti Swiss • 1902 - 1985 In 1935 Diego Giacometti took a holiday in Stampa, the Swiss town in which he grew up. The trip marked one of the first periods in which he was separated from his brother Alberto Giacometti and perhaps in connection with having removed himself from the shadow of his brother's career, he began his first animal sculptures. It was shortly after this trip that the younger Giacometti also started making furniture, after patrons admired the stands he was crafting for his brother's sculptures. Diego modeled his maquettes in plaster (as opposed to clay or wax, which was the more common choice for sculptors) and cast his furniture in bronze, a departure from most metal furniture at the time, which was cast in iron. Illustrious clients included the Maeght and Noailles families as well as the decorator Jean-Michel-Frank, who commissioned Alberto (assisted by Diego) to create plaster lighting and fireplace accessories. View More Works