An octagonal table led a sale of work by Diego Giacometti from the collection of friend and fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy.
The table is worked in Giacometti’s distinctive bronze and displays caryatides and atlantes, male and female architectural figures typically seen holding up columns on classical buildings.
Demand for Giacometti's work is growing rapidly
At more than two metres across, it’s one of the larger examples of Giacometti’s furniture on the market.
It realised $4.4m, an increase of 266% on its $1.2m estimate.
That’s in line with what we predicted prior to the sale. Another of these tables achieved a similar result ($3.8m) against an equally low valuation at Sotheby’s last year.
Meanwhile, a pair of sculptural trees achieved $2.8m against an estimate of $527,085.
Demand for Giacometti’s work is in the ascendant, in part driven by the record sums achieved for work by his brother and collaborator Alberto – whose L'Homme au doigt made $141.3m in 2015.
The brothers work in a similar style, although Diego tended to focus more on furniture while Alberto leaned towards fine art.
Francois de Ricqles, president of Christie’s France: “We are very proud of these extraordinary results. Thanks to Hubert de Givenchy’s elegance and perfect taste, this sale was a beautiful tribute to Diego Giacometti whose new world auction record established tonight confirms his position as one of the most talented artists of the 20th century”.
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