Auctions
Givenchy-Owned Giacometti Works to Go Under the Hammer
Will the fashion legend's status increase their cachet at auction?
Will the fashion legend's status increase their cachet at auction?
Eileen Kinsella ShareShare This Article
It’s no secret that having a famous collector own work by a star artist often enhances its cachet at auction.
That’s expected to be the case when Christie’s offers 21 works by Diego Giacometti from the collection of iconic fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy at a dedicated sale in Paris on March 6, 2017. The sale is expected to raise roughly €6 million to €8 million.
According to the artnet Price Database, which lists more than 2,000 auction results for Diego, the record for the Swiss artist is $3.8 million, achieved at Sotheby’s New York this past November for a bronze 1970s Table aux Personnages. Diego is famous for his furniture and animal bronzes.
The second highest price of $1.7 million was achieved for another table, Console Chevreuil, Biche et Bambi (circa 1975) that was sold at Doyle New York in April 2013.
The highest priced lots at Christie’s are three tables. Two are of the same dimension and are being sold separately (estimate: €800,000–1.2 million), while a third, slightly smaller one, is estimated at €600,000–800,000.
The house will further offer a work by his more famous brother Alberto, whose signature elongated sculptures are among the most expensive works ever sold at auction. The current record for Alberto is $141 million, achieved in May of 2015 at Christie’s.
Givenchy, who turns 90 next month, told Le Figaro that he was offloading a portion of his personal collection at the Chateau du Jonchet southwest of Paris. “However, I am keeping some of my (Giacomettis) which are useful” to have around the house, he said.