There are auctions, and then there are auctions.
Certain kinds of auctions are rarefied events (think the auction of Yves St. Laurent and Pierre Berge’s apartment at Christie’s in Paris, 2009) offering works of exceptional artists that have been collected by exceptional patrons.
This past week, Christie’s held “Les Giacometti d’Hubert de Givenchy”, a collection of works by the designer and sculptor Diego Giacometti. Givenchy’s friendship with Giacometti spanned decades and his collection includes some of the master’s most iconic works, including the octagonal table (shown below) with Caryatids and Atlantes in patinated bronze, which fetched over $4 million USD—well above the auction estimate of 800,000-1,200,000 euros.
Givenchy met Giacometti through a friend, art collector and designer Gustav Zumsteg, who gifted Givenchy a gueridon designed by Giacometti. Thus began their long friendship and collaboration. Giacometti, who was born in Switzerland, traveled to Paris to collaborate with the renowned interior designer Jean-Michel Frank.
Frank introduced him to fashion legends like Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Helene Rochas. In Paris, Diego became the preferred designer within the city’s most fashionable circles, receiving commissions to furnish the city’s most elegant apartments. On Madison pays tribute in pictures to the enduring art of a true creative genius.
