Daily Management Review

Jean Dunand and the Normandie: A Temple of Art Deco


01/28/2021


Eighteen monumental lacquer wall panels made by an extraordinary artist for the smoking room of the Normandie will soon go under the hammer in Le Havre.



by Caroline Legrand

Jean Dunand (1877-1942), La Conquête du cheval, 1935, set of 18 panels in gold and color lacquer carved in low-relief on a base of sabi, for the first-class smoking room of the Normandie. The whole: 311 x 504 cm (approx. 122.4 x 198.4 in) ; separately: 124 x 63 (48.8 x 24.8 in), 63 x 63 (24.8 x 24.8 in), 124 x 16 cm (48.8 x 6.3 in). Estimate: €250,000/300,000
Jean Dunand (1877-1942), La Conquête du cheval, 1935, set of 18 panels in gold and color lacquer carved in low-relief on a base of sabi, for the first-class smoking room of the Normandie. The whole: 311 x 504 cm (approx. 122.4 x 198.4 in) ; separately: 124 x 63 (48.8 x 24.8 in), 63 x 63 (24.8 x 24.8 in), 124 x 16 cm (48.8 x 6.3 in). Estimate: €250,000/300,000
An ambitious man, Jean Dunand (1877-1942) entered the school of decorative arts with great expectations. He eventually found a project that made his wildest dreams come true: decorating the biggest, most beautiful ocean liner ever built. Much more than just a ship, the Normandie was a technological wonder, the apex of French Art Deco  craftsmanship and design—and Dunand’s masterpiece.

Read more...



Tags : Art, Art Deco, Art Market, Collecting