There is a triad of circumstances – a perfect storm, perhaps
– that led to this outcome:
1)
a rare piece by an important designer;
2)
a star-studded provenance (this relates to the
ownership history); and
3)
the desire and means of the purchaser (coupled
with unbridled consumerism)
 |
| The Dragons in situ at the Paris home of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé (prior to the 2009 sale) |
The Piece:
Designed between 1917 and 1919, The Dragons is a small-scaled club chair in the art deco style. It
features leather upholstery framed in elaborately carved and lacquered wood, in
the form of two intertwined dragons. A bespoke piece created for Suzanne Talbot
(one of Gray’s early patrons), it is truly one-of-a-kind...apparently a good
thing based on some opinions voiced in the media (the words hideous and ugly
were chosen by David K. Li from The New York Post).
The Provenance:
This chair was from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent
and Pierre Bergé, and it sold in the larger context of a very high-profile
Christie’s sale of their entire
collection (which incidentally yielded approximately US$75 million in total,
almost tripling its pre-sale estimate). The
Dragons had several owners prior to YSL, but was originally in the
collection of the famous Parisian milliner, Suzanne Talbot. One can speculate
that YSL and Bergé were attracted by this prior ownership due to Talbot’s high-profile
role in the rag trade, especially since their collection also included pieces
previously owned by Jacques Doucet, another famed Parisian couturier.
 |
| Suzanne Talbot's apartment in the rue de Lota, designed by Gray 1917-1919. The Dragons is shown here in its original white leather upholstery. |
The winning bid belonged to art dealers, Cheska and Robert
Vallois, presumably on behalf of an anonymous client. When interviewed about
the purchase, Cheska’s explanation was that “it’s the price of desire!” Another
perspective came from New York collector and dealer Jose Mugrabi, who summed up
the situation, “I think this sale is close to vulgar…people are hypnotized.
They don’t know what they’re buying”.
What would Ms. Gray have made of all this? Here’s a clue…early
in her career (while her work was still quite decorative, more aligned with
what would become Art Deco than the Modernist aesthetic she later embraced),
she created a number of bespoke pieces for Jacques Doucet (1853-1929), including
a lacquered screen called Le Destin. In
1972 (when Gray was in her 90s), the screen garnered a record-breaking $36,000
at auction (purchased by YSL, incidentally…provenance played a role here, too).
Gray scoffed at the news of this sale, especially as this piece was
representative of a style she dismissed as ‘the sins of her youth’. No doubt,
news of the bizarre alchemy leading to her more recent auction results would
have her spinning in her grave.
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| Le Destin, a laquered screen by Gray, 1914 |
A few notes:
L’Amour Fou (Pierre
Thoretton, 2011) is lovely, moody film about the relationship between YSL and
Bergé.
Filmed in the wake of YSL’s death, it documents Bergé as he prepares to auction the
vast collection amassed by the couple over their many years together. Definitely
worth watching, however frustratingly low on detail about the specific lots and
auction results.
 |
| Poster art for L'Amour Fou |
References and additional resources:
Judd Tully’s article for Blouin Art Info:
http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/30503/the-28m-chair-mad-hatter-or-new-harbinger/
David K. Li’s article for The New York Post: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/item_K0NTimEacqQZyvWsC5x6aO
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| Eileen Gray (1878-1976) |
