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Lot 54
Paul Dupré - LafonValet, 1930sLimed oak, Hermès leather, brass. 138 x 44 x 56 cmManufactured by Hermès, Paris, France. Reverse of jacket hanger impressed HERMÈS-PARIS, and frame stamped P DUPRE-LAFON.Footnotes:ProvenanceHermes, Paris Jean Chevalier, Paris Thence by descent to the present ownerLiteratureThierry Couvrat Desvergnes, Paul Dupré-Lafon: décorateur des millionaires, Paris, 1990, pp. 204-205Bruno Foucart and Jean-Louis Gaillemin, Les Décorateurs des années 40, Paris, 1998, p. 121The present lot belonged to Jean Chevalier, the father of the current owner. Jean Chevalier was the first director of photography at Elle magazine in Paris in 1945. ' Elle magazine was central to the development of fashion, photography and modern feminine identities in post-war France. Between 1946 and 1961 he directed Elle's photography studio working with all the leading fashion houses of that time. His contributions to image-making, in terms of both technology and representation, should be seen as a feature of the country's wider modernisation project'.For the above text we are grateful to: Dr. Alexis Romano author of Prêt-à-Porter, Paris and Women: A Cultural Study of French Readymade Fashion, 1945-68 (Bloomsbury, April 2022)This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: TPTP Lot will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 10
Berthold Lubetkin and Margaret LubetkinUnique sofa, designed for the Penthouse flat, Highpoint Two, Highgate, London, 1936-1938Norwegian yew, sandblasted pine, Cowhide, leather, chromium-plated metal. 77 x 196 x 80 cmFootnotes:ProvenanceBerthold Lubetkin, Penthouse flat, Highpoint Two, Highgate, LondonThence by descentBonhams, London, New Bond Street, 'Important Design', 21 November 2018, lot 169Acquired from the above by the present ownerLiteratureLionel Brett, The Things We See Houses - No. 2, Houses, Middlesex, 1947, p. 49 for the armchairs and daybed'Tall Order', The Architects' Journal, June 1985, illustrated p. 55John Allan, Berthold Lubetkin: Architecture and the tradition of progress, London, 2016, illustrated pp. 303, 305, 307, 562The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Collections, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1458096/-armchair-berthold-lubetkin, (accessed September 2021) for the armchairHighpoint by Nick Wright'There are only four kinds of artistic activity: fine art, music, poetry and ornamental pastry cooking, of which architecture is a minor branch.' So began Berthold Lubetkin's speech to the Art Worker's Guild in 1932. Over a fifty-year career he baked many fine pastries.His origins are opaque. A passport showing his birthplace as Warsaw in 1903 was false. He was born in Georgia, a colonial outpost of Tsarist Russia, in 1901. During the Russian revolution he enrolled as a student at the Stroganov School of Applied Art. He studied carpet design in Berlin, architecture in Warsaw, concrete construction in Paris under August Perret, though achieved few if any formal qualifications. Nonetheless, he worked on the Soviet Pavilion in the Paris Exposition of 1925 and, in partnership, with Jean Ginsburg whose bona fide degree facilitated planning permission, had built an apartment block on Rue de Versailles by the age of 30.Arriving in Britain with two passports, no family or verifiable CV, he was free to become the architect of his own identity. His nationality was International, his faith communism, the denomination Modernism. The penguin pool he designed for Regent Park Zoo became instantly emblematic of the movement. More commissions came; suburban houses in Plumstead, a beach house in Aldwyck, a bungalow cut into the chalk hills of Whipsnade. Then, following the Tottenham factory designed for Gestetner Ltd, he designed Highpoint. 'Nothing,' he said, 'is too good for the ordinary person' and Highpoint is the physical embodiment of that ideal. New materials, concrete, glass, and steel were presumed impervious to the elements, the elemental design to fashion. Although undeniably 'an achievement of the first rank' to quote Le Corbusier, Highpoint now appears very much of its time. Rather than housing the workers of an office equipment manufacturer the apartments were sold to private individuals whilst the white-washed concrete appears an homage to white liner modernism, new in Britain but rehearsed the decade prior on the Mediterranean coast and already rust streaked.It is the adjacent Highpoint II which appears the more prescient, bridging as it does the stark modernity of its elder sibling on one side with Georgian Highgate on the other. Indeed, it's startling to realise that what one takes to be a low linear building shares a roofline with its high-rise neighbour and this dual aspect continues throughout. The choice of Staffordshire blue brick nods to the Victorian engineers such as Brunel whom Lubetkin admired. The glass bricks of the stair wells were contemporary. Then there are the caryatids. Classical figures cast at the British Museum support the modernist portico, these draped ladies passed water though pipes cast within but remain a source of debate. Are they 'pastry decoration'? Are they a recreation of the figures on a childhood home? Or are they the earliest post-modern joke, an acknowledgement that a function of architecture is to entertain? In 1951 Lubetkin wrote 'for too long modern architectural solutions were regarded in terms of abstract principles, with formal expression left to itself as a functional resultant. The principles of composition, the emotional impact of the visual, were brushed aside as irrelevant. Yet this is the very material with which the architect operates.' Alessandro Mendini said much the same fifty years after Highpoint's construction.Preeminent among the residents of Highpoint II was Lubetkin himself who had designed the penthouse for his family and the apartment displays the same meld of old and new. A vaulted ceiling recalls the breakfast room at John Soane's Pitzhanger, suspended from it was a mobile made and installed by Alexander Calder. Expansive glass affords views of London, in the free space below was a suite of furniture designed in the vernacular style of Lubetkin's native Georgia.John Allen writes of Lubetkin: 'No longer content merely to revere the grand tradition of architects who design their own furniture – Aalto, Le Corbusier, Mies, Rietveld – he now steps up to join it. The low chairs and sofa were unique pieces of soft sculpture made personally by Lubetkin and his wife Margaret from hand chosen lengths of Norwegian yew and cow hide from Argentina.' Such a quest seems indulgent but careful selection of the timber is necessary to the design. The rear posts all require the same curvature, even the knots are regularly spaced to create symmetrical aprons and, as with the building for which they were designed, the traditional and avant-guard coexist; fitted into the rustic frames are airfoil sections adjusted via engine-turned bosses.These pieces of furniture are of real architectural significance - evidenced by the Victoria and Albert Museum's acquisition of the third chair. They were designed by the architect responsible for much of Britain's post-war social housing and the Finsbury Health Centre, effectively the first hospital for the NHS. They drew on his early life in Georgia yet sit well in his home on top of Britain's preeminent modernist building. Indeed, so attached was Lubetkin to the furniture that on leaving Highpoint in 1955 the suite went with him. Images of the farm cottage to which he relocated show sofa and chair wedged beside the hearth. Then when he retired to a terraced Georgian house in Bristol the pieces again accompanied him. Throughout a transient life it was as though this suite represented home more than any building. Perhaps home had always been Georgia.Bonhams wishes to thank Nick Wright, co-author, Cut and Shut: The History of Creative Salvage, London, 2012.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: TPTP Lot will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 18
Gerard Sekoto (South African, 1913-1993)Senegalese Street Scene signed and dated 'G Sekoto/ 67' (lower right)oil on canvas 65 x 50.5cm (25 9/16 x 19 7/8in).Footnotes:Sekoto first travelled to Senegal at the invitation of the president, Leopold Senghor, to exhibit at the 'First Festival of Negro Arts' in 1966. The artist remained in Dakar for a few months after the convention, immersing himself in local life. During this period, Senghor lent Sekoto his car and chauffeur so that he could visit the village of Casamance. The artist was struck by the grace and beauty of the people he encountered here. He made many sketches, which he translated into oil paintings on returning to Dakar.Sekoto believed that the trip liberated him artistically. The sunny climate, the stately pace of life in Casamance, the inherent grace of the residents, were sources of inspiration:'My looser and freer lines were aroused during my stay in Senegal...but the slow, elegant movement of the people was mostly fairy-like to me, more especially since I did not speak the language to be able to extract the real feel of the people in my own way. They are difficult to penetrate and there was also the barrier of religion.' (A letter from the artist to Barbara Lindop, 1968)This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 46
El Anatsui (Ghanaian, born 1944)Curtain (yellow) signed and dated 'EL '88' (lower right)printed cloth302 x 112cm (118 7/8 x 44 1/8in).Footnotes:ProvenanceMr Christoph Ludzuweit;A private collection.El Anatsui made ten printed textiles in Nsukka in 1988, they were produced in black, blue, yellow, ochre and orange pigments. Three of these works are now to be found in the collection of Iwalewahaus, Bayreuth.These early works can be considered as the first stage in the artist's development of the later wall hangings.Christoph Ludzuweit worked as a lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 1983 to 1988 and was a close friend and colleague of the artist.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 72
Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe (Ghanaian, born 1990)Kill them with my innocence signed and dated 'Kwame Kye 17'; signed, inscribed and dated (verso)oil on canvas with collage76.2 x 76.2cm (30 x 30in).unframed and unstretched.Footnotes:ProvenanceAcquired from the Artist's Alliance Gallery, Accra;A private collection.The artist attended the Ghanatta College of Art and Design for Fine Art in Accra and now lives and works in Portland, Oregon. He held his first exhibition in the USA 'Black Like Me' at Roberts Projects Gallery, Los Angeles in January 2020.'Colour means a great deal where I come from. It's a distinguishing quality - the very means of self-expression'. - Otis Kwame Kye QuaicoeThis lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 22
Irma Stern (South African, 1894-1966)Lelemana Dance signed and dated 'Irma Stern 1945' (upper right)oil on canvas68.5 x 68.5cm (26 15/16 x 26 15/16in).within original artist's Zanzibar frame.Footnotes:ProvenanceA private collection.Acquired from the Lidchi Gallery, Johannesburg, 1962.A private collection.LiteratureStern, I., 'Zanzibar', van Schaik, 1946, illust pg. 95.This vibrant and exuberant dance scene was executed by Irma Stern during her second visit to Zanzibar, the 'spice islands' off the coast of East Africa. Stern had first travelled to the archipelago in 1939, and had been intoxicated by the exotic smells, sights and sounds. It was during her first trip that she witnessed a 'lelemana (wedding) dance'. She recalled the experience in an article she wrote for the Cape Argus newspaper on 19 July 1939:'They were a row of lovely young Swahili girls. Their heads were decorated with golden rings and bunches of flowers ... The dancers stood in a row, their faces bearing an entranced expression, as if they were deep in religious thought. Their hands were beating little golden tomtoms in a monotonous tone. Their bodies were static, their heads bent down. Then they rose slowly and their hands went on in a ceaseless movement – the lilimama, the wedding dance ... The dance went on for hours without a break.'She illustrated this article with a small pen sketch of three dancers. Interestingly, the oil paintings Stern created following her first visit, and exhibited in 1941 and 1942, do not include a composition of this dance. It was only when she returned to Zanzibar in 1945 that she returned to the subject.Instead of attempting to capture a single, static moment of the dance, Stern presents us with a sequence, depicting each of the women at different stages of the performance. This unconventional composition lends a freshness and dynamism to the scene. The dancers are positioned so close to the picture surface, it is almost as if we are in and amongst them, and not distant spectators.This painting was so well regarded, that it was purchased by a private collector almost as soon as it was executed. It did not feature in the exhibitions she organised later in 1946 or 1947. The painting was first exhibited publicly in February 1962 at the Lidchi Gallery, Johannesburg, where it was snapped up by another private collector. The work has remained in this family's hands until the present day.Stern's own regard for the painting is evident in her choice to illustrate it in her 1948 publication, 'Zanzibar' (Van Schaik, Pretoria, p95). Of the 25 oil paintings selected, 'Lelemana Dance' stands out as one of the most accomplished, well deserving of its position alongside Stern's masterpieces, 'The Arab Priest', 'Arab with Dagger' and 'The Golden Shawl'. We are grateful to Professor Michael Godby for the compilation of the above footnote.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 35
Robin Rhode (South African, born 1976)'Expression of Joy', 2009 oil on canvas 122 x 244cm (48 1/16 x 96 1/16in).Footnotes:In the tradition of BMW's 'Art Car' collection (in which artists from Andy Warhol to Esther Mahlangu have been commissioned to paint a scale model of one of the latest cars), Robin Rhode became the first artist to use the car itself, a 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster, as the paintbrush, rather than the canvas.Initially creating a series of fingerpainted storyboards, the artist gave a stunt driver specific instructions for driving atop multiple panels (of which the current lot is one), while he remote controlled the release of paint through nozzles attached to the wheel arches. Colour would spray onto the tires, their treads tracking marks across the canvas: at several points, the artist himself also entered the arena, throwing pots of paint and interacting with the canvas in a complex colour choreography.Rhode has remarked: 'This work is an expression of painting in action – my hope is to communicate the power and thrill inherent in the creation of art... For me, the use of an untraditional paintbrush like a high performance car is a great way to investigate the relationship between emotion, technology and industrial creativity.'This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: TPTP Lot will be moved to an offsite storage location (Cadogan Tate, Auction House Services, 241 Acton Lane, London NW10 7NP, UK) and will only be available for collection from this location at the date stated in the catalogue. Please note transfer and storage charges will apply to any lots not collected after 14 calendar days from the auction date.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 61
GEORGE PERFECT HARDING (BRITISH, 1779-1853), AFTER THOMAS GIBSONPortrait of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of Orford (1653-1727)signed 'G P Harding fecit' (lower left)watercolour and bodycolour20 x 16cmFootnoteRussell was among 'The Immortal Seven', a group of aristocrats who invited William of Orange to take the English throne from James II. He commanded the Anglo-Dutch fleet against the French at the Battle of Barfleur in 1692 and was Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean fleet from 1694. For the first time that year, the fleet overwintered in the Mediterranean, a policy which would ultimately lead to the establishment in 1704, of the permanent English naval base at Gibraltar.
Lot 68
THOMAS WHITCOMBE (BRITISH, 1752-1824)Second battle of Algeciras, 12th July 1801inscribed and initialled 'Capt Sir James Saumarez/Battle of Algeciras Bay TW' (on the stretcher)oil on canvas 21 x 29cmProvenanceAnon sale, Christie's London, 18 June 1971, lot 40FootnoteFollowing their defeat at the first battle of Algeciras on 6th July 1801, the English squadron, under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir James de Saumarez (1757-1836) pursued the French squadron, along with six Spanish ships, as they set sail from the port of Algeciras at dusk on 12th July. First to engage was HMS 'Superb' under the command of Captain Richard Goodwin Keats (1757-1834). The present work shows the Spanish 'Real Carlos' on fire following numerous broadsides from the 'Superb'; in the chaos and darkness the 'Real Carlos' then opened fire on her compatriot ship, the 'San Hermenegildo', whose flag is just visible in the lower left of the composition. The fire spread rapidly resulting in both ships exploding with huge loss of life.
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