Grela Orihuela is Senior Vice President of Design Miami, now in its 18th edition in Basel. Located across the street from Art Basel’s main show, Design Center Miami welcomes 25 design vendors. This year’s fair commemorates the late Italian artist and designer Gaetano Pesce, who died in April. Pace’s work is on display at several gallery booths and outside the main sales floor. Here, Oliveira selects some of the pieces that caught her attention at the show.
new sheep (lamb)François-Xavier Lalanne, Galerie Mitterrand (see top of page)
Galerie Mitterrand is known as a leading dealer in the works of French Surrealist designers François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, the most famous of whom Perhaps the work of François-Xavier Mouton sheep. At this year’s Design Miami/Basel, the gallery brought a smaller lamb, which Oliveira said is rare. The sculpture was so beloved by employees that it was nicknamed “Henrietta.” This is a later version Moutons, which dates back to the 1990s, is made of durable bronze and epoxy stone so it can be left outdoors. The sculpture is priced at 600,000 euros and had not been sold as of yesterday morning.
“Anemone” sofa Designed by Jean-Pierre Laporte, Gallery Meubles et Lumières David Owens
“Anemone” sofaJean-Pierre Laporte, Furniture and Light Gallery
Parisian gallery Galerie Meubles et Lumières shows a large round sofa from the 1960s with seven chairs that come together to form the shape of a flower. The work was first exhibited in Paris in 1969 and received numerous magazine coverage, but sales were few. This week, the sofa was sold to Zurich’s Foundation for Contemporary Art for an undisclosed price. “We are very happy because it will be surrounded by Basquiats,” said dealer Guilhem Faget. The gallery’s booth, composed of French avant-garde designs from the 1960s, won this year’s Best Exhibition award.
parchment bed Jean-Michel Frank at Galerie Maxime Flatry David Owens
parchment bed, Jean-Michel Frank, Galerie Maxime Flatry
Parisian dealer Maxime Flatry dedicated its booth to the work of Jean-Michel Frank, one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. One of Oliveira’s favorite pieces is a daybed covered in Frank’s famous parchment. “When I saw this when I was installing it, I imagined the people who owned it and their lives: where they liked to have dinner, what they wore,” Orihuela said, adding that her imaginary owner “Very stylish, but very relaxing at the same time.”
Monkey Wisdom II By Richard Texier, Rafano Gallery Downtown
David Owens
Monkey Wisdom IIRichard Texier, Rafano Gallery, Downtown
Another piece featured by Orihuela is a bronze floor lamp designed by French contemporary artist Richard Texier, currently on display at the Laffanour-Galerie gallery downtown. This lamp features whimsical animal prints and warm light held up by rusty bronze leaves. The piece makes viewers feel like “it’s from Middle Earth and everything comes to life,” Orihuela said. Gallery owner François Laffanour said the lamp, which has not yet been sold, is priced at 68,000 euros.
Borage Welter Suzanne Ramié at Lebreton Gallery David Owens
Borage WelterSusan Lamy, Lebreton Gallery
The late Suzanne Ramié lived in Vallauris, France, where she and her husband owned a ceramics studio and was best known for her work with Pablo Picasso. According to Karim Mehanna, co-founder of Lebreton Gallery, the Spanish artist experimented with pottery there in 1946 and was inspired by Lamy’s work. The vase dates from 1945 and has a rich green glaze stained with ashes from firewood in the kiln. The vase was sold to a collector from New York.
pink sculpture Author: Rie Aizawa, Pierre Marie Giraud David Owens
pink sculptureRie Aizawa, Pierre-Marie Giraud
This pink coral-like sculpture was created by young Japanese artist Rie Aizawa, apparently using a secret technique. Brussels dealer Pierre Marie Giraud said the piece would sell for about 8,000 euros. Orihuela said it was a piece she was “obsessed with,” adding that the coral-like sculpture reminded her of Miami. Giraud specialized in contemporary decorative arts and collaborated with many Japanese artists.
Pratt chair n°7 Created by Gaetano Pesce at Pulp Galerie David Owens
Pratt chair n°7Gaetano Pesce, Pulp Gallery
Pratt chair n°7 In 1996, the work was included in the Gaetano Pesce exhibition at the Center Pompidou, which explored the architect and designer’s experiments with synthetic materials. Made from flexible resin, the chair is part of a series of nine chairs made in collaboration with students at New York’s Pratt Institute. A series of symbols are spread across the molding of the seat, including a cross, a graphic sex scene and Pace’s handprint on the back of the chair. The asking price is 60,000 euros.
