.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Unique Pair of Commodes, circa 2001
Details
ANDRÉ DUBREUIL (B. 1951)
Unique Pair of Commodes, circa 2001
steel, etched and patinated copper, marble
33 ½ in. (85.1 cm) high; 59 in. (149.7 cm) wide; 23 ½ in. (59.7 cm) deep (each)
Unique Pair of Commodes, circa 2001
steel, etched and patinated copper, marble
33 ½ in. (85.1 cm) high; 59 in. (149.7 cm) wide; 23 ½ in. (59.7 cm) deep (each)
Provenance
Galerie Mougin, Paris
Supplied by Peter Marino Architect, New York, 2001.
Supplied by Peter Marino Architect, New York, 2001.
Literature
J-L. Gaillemin, André Dubreuil: Poet of Iron, Paris, 2016, p. 173, fig. 221 for the present lot illustrated
Special notice
Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.
Further details
Christie’s would like to thank Galerie Mougin for their assistance in cataloguing this lot.
As a seamless artist, designer and craftsman in the 21st century, André Dubreuil is in a class by himself, but he stands shoulder to shoulder with the long history of decorative artists over the last 300 years. The versatility of Dubreuil’s creations is rooted in its distillation and reflection of so many cultural influences, ranging from Japanese enamels and French 18th century furniture to Art Nouveau and Post-Modernism. Starting as an antique dealer and decorative painter in his early career, Dubreuil befriended Tom Dixon and Mark Brazier-Jones who formed a loose collective of expressive metal artisans. Dubreuil’s original aesthetic was one of linear expression in salvaged metal rods developed into works that focused on volume and surface decoration more akin to his design heroes Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann and Gilbert Poillerat. With this new freedom, the artist’s work became more of a reflection and interpretation of the world than idiosyncratic personal taste. Historical references to furniture precedents alongside a contemporary approach that breaks free of national boundaries, the works are universal and express a “formal anarchy” or a cultural collage. Beyond the overall appearance of Dubreuil’s art, technique and artisanal skill is paramount to the understanding of the designs, which reveal themselves slowly over time. Few works emerge from the studio each year due to the creative approach to each work and the highly skilled production. Ornament and patina are rendered in hand-enameled and etched copper and iron; wrought materials live alongside polished and embellished surfaces culminating in masterpieces by one of the most unique visionaries in the field of contemporary design. The two exceptional pair of commodes presented in this sale are directly commissioned from the artist and display the richness and versatility of André Dubreuil.
As a seamless artist, designer and craftsman in the 21st century, André Dubreuil is in a class by himself, but he stands shoulder to shoulder with the long history of decorative artists over the last 300 years. The versatility of Dubreuil’s creations is rooted in its distillation and reflection of so many cultural influences, ranging from Japanese enamels and French 18th century furniture to Art Nouveau and Post-Modernism. Starting as an antique dealer and decorative painter in his early career, Dubreuil befriended Tom Dixon and Mark Brazier-Jones who formed a loose collective of expressive metal artisans. Dubreuil’s original aesthetic was one of linear expression in salvaged metal rods developed into works that focused on volume and surface decoration more akin to his design heroes Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann and Gilbert Poillerat. With this new freedom, the artist’s work became more of a reflection and interpretation of the world than idiosyncratic personal taste. Historical references to furniture precedents alongside a contemporary approach that breaks free of national boundaries, the works are universal and express a “formal anarchy” or a cultural collage. Beyond the overall appearance of Dubreuil’s art, technique and artisanal skill is paramount to the understanding of the designs, which reveal themselves slowly over time. Few works emerge from the studio each year due to the creative approach to each work and the highly skilled production. Ornament and patina are rendered in hand-enameled and etched copper and iron; wrought materials live alongside polished and embellished surfaces culminating in masterpieces by one of the most unique visionaries in the field of contemporary design. The two exceptional pair of commodes presented in this sale are directly commissioned from the artist and display the richness and versatility of André Dubreuil.
Brought to you by
Csongor Kis
AVP, Specialist