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Written by Andrea Domenech

14 June 2024

Timeless elegance

Auctions on June 18th, 19th and 27th

Timeless elegance

Invest in iconic jewelry pieces that will never go out of style

The effortless, timeless and elegant designs are the right ones for your everyday life, a smart investment and a reflection of your personal style. These essential pieces serve a similar purpose to the basics in your capsule closet. They are versatile, easy to combine with any outfit, and sophisticated enough to elevate even the simplest look. From designer rings, pendants or diamond riviéres, these timeless treasures will be with you for a lifetime. They have transcended time and trends, achieving an iconic status that always gives them an unmistakable shine.

At our upcoming Luxury Day auctions on June 18, 19 and 27 you can find the perfect jewelry to start building your jewelry box or to replace or upgrade one of your star pieces:

Rivière or tennis bracelet

The elegant simplicity of a row of diamonds is what makes this jewel a must-have piece. Worn alone, or combined with other accessories; with a cocktail dress and your favorite jeans, it adds a touch of sophistication and glamour.

Lote 35316236. AUDEMARS PIGUET Criollas en oro amarillo

Creole

No jewelry collection is complete without at least one pair. Such a simple, elegant and minimalist design stylizes the wearer’s face. From large to small, oval or geometric, they exude warmth and joy in any style, with the potential to become a family heirloom.

Sleepyheads

A pair of diamond earrings in jewelry is equivalent to the “little black dress” that cannot be missing in your closet: elegant, effortless and that enhances any look. No matter what you combine them with, they will instantly brighten your face.

Lote 35352539 Dormilonas con diamantes de ca. 2,01 ct.

Signature ring

Instantly recognizable and loved designs. These rings are pieces that are updated and improved every time you wear them and that lift your spirits every time you look at them. Their enduring appeal makes them a safe investment.

Lote 35315979. Sortija CARTIER Maillon Panthère

Pendant

Thin chains with discreet and minimalist pendants. Its lightness makes it a versatile and personal accessory that you won’t want to take off even when you go to sleep. Choose the design that best suits you.

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Recommendations, Setdart

cartier, Jewelry, Selected jewels

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Written by Andrea Domenech

7 June 2024

Important private collection. Latest trends: new artistic paradigms

Latest trends: new artistic paradigms

Important private collection

In recent decades and following the rhythm set by the avant-garde, artistic currents have emerged and fed back on each other with fascinating speed, blurring the boundaries between the various trends that have shaped the current artistic landscape. The multiplicity of perspectives, cultural influences and individual visions that make up contemporary artistic practice, translucid through the infinity of styles and techniques that, as conceptual art has already shown us, have revolutionized its own notion. Artists such as Bernar Venet, Damien Hirst, Jan Fabre, Arne Quinze, David Lachapelle, open the door to a universe as intimate as it is collective, which manages to question the viewer in as many ways as their interpretations. Far from representing conventional plastic values, art is moving through a moment of rupture towards new paradigms that expand its limits beyond its traditional boundaries.

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In fact, the irruption of conceptual art gave artistic practice a freedom, unprecedented until then, diluting the distinctions between life and art and questioning where one ends and the other begins. Likewise, the boundaries between disciplines are becoming difficult to elucidate as a result of the constant search for new means of expression that fit and reflect the idiosyncrasies of our time.

In this aspect, the bidding collection clearly reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the artistic practice that has been developing in recent decades, creating a scenario that encourages dialogue and divergent thinking. Enigmatic works, committed, challenging, satirical, with philosophical and spiritual overtones… beyond the eternal debate between what is and what is not art, each one of them is intrinsically linked to issues that, like advertising, religion, science, popular culture or politics, have marked contemporary society. The wide range of media that, from painting and sculpture to installations, conceptual art and photography, find a solid and revealing representation, become not only a vivid testimony of the evolution of artistic practice, but also of our own evolution as a society.

The collection and its artists

In the sculptural field, Bernar Venet’s monumental steel works, characterized by deep mathematical and scientific research, are a lucid example of the bridge that conceptual art builds to science and nature, urging viewers to reflect on the intersection between them.

The fascinating disparity of creative proposals leads us to Jan Fabre who, as one of the most influential multidisciplinary artists of his generation, unfolds in his work a universe as disturbing as it is seductive, where insects lining objects or provocative religious allegories constantly allude both to the dimension of the subject and to ideas linked to metamorphosis, spiritual transformation and the ephemeral nature of life.

The provocation and transgression implicit in part of the current artistic production is materialized in artists such as Wim Delvoy, who has undoubtedly become one of the most controversial and admired figures of the last decades in the contemporary circuit. An example of this is the work “Birdhouse nº8”, in which there is a biting criticism of the denaturalization that man has imposed on the animal kingdom. In fact, issues related to the animal kingdom will be of interest to artists such as Koen Vanmechelen, who have focused their research on the concepts of cross-species hybridization to provoke reflection on questions related to anthropology, bioethics and the fateful temptation of human beings to play God.

On the other hand, and in response to the industrialization and digitalization that has defined modern times, traditional textile art techniques have experienced a resurgence as a way to preserve and revitalize ancestral craft traditions. This is the case of Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, whose production has been aimed at reviving craft techniques such as crochet, which are typical of her country of origin.

Alongside them, artists such as Damien Hirst, Arne Quinze, Lori Hersberger, Jean Michel Folon or Gilbert and George reflect the constant innovation and transformation that the art world has experienced in this era and the way in which it is capable of questioning society by influencing and interpreting the context in which it has developed.

Recommendations, Select Lots, Setdart

Arte Contemporáneo, colección, grandes genios, Private collection

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Written by Andrea Domenech

3 June 2024

The lyrical landscape of Fernando Zóbel

One of the most in vogue artists on the current art scene

The brilliant post-war generation transformed the artistic practice of the time into a space where plurality and creative richness were a cry for freedom. In this context, the work of Fernando Zóbel, whose figure acted as a catalyst for artistic liberation in Spain, is essential. The excellence of this post-war period has been supported by an international recognition that in recent times has increased thanks to a growing presence, both at museum and commercial level. A symptom of this is the exponential increase in the price of artists like Zóbel within the art market.

The recognition of the artist of Philippine origin has gone beyond our borders, positioning him as one of the artists on the rise in the international market and especially in the Asian market. Thanks to the moment of expansion that the Asian economy is experiencing, the continent has positioned itself as the leading power within the artistic market, until it broke with US hegemony. So far this year, Zóbel has achieved magnificent results both in Europe and in the Philippines, demonstrating and consolidating the idyll he lives with the world of collecting. Undoubtedly, Zóbel’s figures are the translation of the quality and vision with which the genius brought together a whole generation of artists who, even today, continue to be a reference of freedom and creative transgression.

Fotografía del catálogo de la exposición del ,Museo del Prado al artista

Everything in Zóbel’s career runs in a continuous evolution in which changes flow in a natural and unstoppable way, just like the flow of a river. And precisely inspired by the Júcar River, Zóbel dedicated himself, starting in the 1970s, to experimenting with the reality of the natural landscape, which he reinterpreted from an abstract conception. In her he found the purest expression of the impressions and sensations that his contemplation awakened in him.

This lyrical vision of reality is translated into canvases such as ‘Hocinos’ from 1979, which Setdart will be putting out to tender. In it, the sinuous but precise lines are diluted among the vaporous and evanescent chromatism of the background, thus configuring a space whose structure transports us to an evocative and poetic landscape.

In fact, the work exemplifies the impact that the discovery of abstract expressionism, and in particular that of Mark Rothko, had on his pictorial evolution, pushing him definitively towards the abstract. However, the creative process from which his compositions are based is opposed to the expressionist conception. Far from arising from a random and visceral gesture, they are the result of an eminently mental planning. In his works each element is executed from a meticulous planning of the surface of the canvas thanks to the practically invisible grid with which he covers and structures them. Likewise, Zóbel moves away from expressionist dramatism to base his painting on the nakedness of line and movement, suggested through his strokes that cross the space and intermingle to envelop us in an atmosphere in which the calm air of silence is breathed. This mysticism that emanates in each stroke and each stain has its roots in the deep knowledge of oriental culture and especially of Japanese calligraphy, with which Zóbel, without the need for any hint of representation, is able to evoke the most peaceful and evanescent character of nature. The oriental imprint is also reflected in the contrast of opposite values or elements, bringing us closer to the philosophy of yin and yang and the tireless search for balance between opposing elements, so deeply rooted in his trajectory. Undoubtedly, this new knowledge, rooted in two distant and opposing cultures, is the germ of the birth of his characteristic and inimitable style, the same one that will make him the great representative of Spanish lyrical abstraction.

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Written by Andrea Domenech

26 May 2024

Important private collection: The Legacy of the great artists of the 20th and 21st Century

Collecting art is one of the most exciting, complex and enigmatic activities that human beings have developed since time immemorial. But what motivations move a certain individual to dedicate part of his or her vital and economic resources to the purchase of art in a passionate, constant and conscious manner?

In this respect, the extraordinary group of more than 100 works that will mark a before and after in the national art market is a paradigmatic example of a contemporary art collection, forged on the basis of a meticulous research work developed over two decades with an expert eye and a passion and artistic sensitivity that translucent in each work. In this sense, the creator of this anthological collection of works shows us, once again, that any good collection should be understood as an entity in continuous development that evolves as our understanding, knowledge and interests evolve.

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20th century painting, Arte Contemporáneo, colección, collection, contemporary art, grandes genios, great geniuses, private collection, Private collection

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Written by Andrea Domenech

26 May 2024

Important private collection: The transformative power of the Second Vanguards.

Auction June 12

The transformative power of the Second Vanguards.

Important private collection

The collection on sale introduces us to the fascinating Second Avant-Garde through its great protagonists: Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Alechinsky, Christo, Yves Klein and Nicky de Saint Phalle.

Around the decade of the 1940s, a vibrant period in the history of art began whose imprint on the world of creativity has had a decisive influence on the future development of artistic practice. The Second Avant-Garde brought with it a second wave of innovation, rupture and transgression that, from the First Avant-Garde, leads us on a stimulating journey through an absolutely transformative 20th century.

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Go to online catalog

After World War II, a period marked by misery and unrest began, as it could not be otherwise. The horrors of the war wreaked havoc on a political and social level but also defined the new challenges that artistic practice had to face. The failed utopian project of the pre-war avant-gardes and the emptiness caused by the loss of referents translated into a new form of representation dominated by a feeling of tearfulness in which aesthetic enjoyment as it had been understood until then, loses its traditional conception. The political and cultural crisis that shook Europe caused the world’s artistic capital, which until then had been Paris, to move to New York. However, as can be seen in this collection, the polarity between the two creative centers energized and encouraged the artistic practice of this fertile and creatively intense period in which different styles and movements followed one another at a frenetic pace.

In this sense, the ensemble we present here reflects and encourages the dialogue that was established between the artistic proposals of both capitals. Through artists such as Dubuffet and Sam Francis we connect French Informalism with American Abstract Expressionism, whose origin is based on the same foundation: the existential crisis arising from the moral blow of the war. The need to find new forms and codes of representation to express the alienation of human beings and their loss of identity led them to show a special interest in surrealism in their conception of painting as a psychic act. The unconscious and the technique of automatism that now manifests itself on the canvas through signs and calligraphies of wild appearance, completely define this new aesthetic conception based on textures, materials and gestures, that beauty that Dubuffet identified as “an other beauty” in which the work and its surface become a symbol of the image of the world.

At the same time, the COBRA group, represented in the collection by artists such as Karel Appel and Pierre Alechinsky, saw in the primitive art of children and the mentally ill, as well as in surrealist automatism, the most authentic example of free and original art. approaching in this aspect to Dubuffet’s artistic conception. However, unlike the latter, his works are often more visceral due to the influence that German expressionism exerted on them.

Continuing with abstract artistic expressions and in the midst of the triumph of American expressionism, Op Art burst onto the scene. with an opposite premise to that of abstract expressionism: while in the latter the relevant aspect was the relationship between artist and work during the act of creation, figures such as Vasarely put the focus on the spectator, who with his or her action of looking completed and gave meaning to the work.

As a reaction to these movements stripped of external references, Pop Art and New Realism emerged on both sides of the Atlantic. While Pop, led by Andy Warhol, turned triviality into a subject worthy of aesthetic treatment and monumentalized it through the technique of enlargement, reflecting the icons of mass culture in an intelligent and critical way, the new realism of Yves Klein or Niki de Saint Phalle was born to reclaim the return to the social and the human being as the essential subject of art.

Artists such as Christo, initially ascribed to the new realism, evolved towards other creative paradigms, such as Land Art, which show us once again the fertile ground under which the art of the second half of the century developed. Together with his wife, Christo transcended the limits of traditional disciplines by fully embracing the fusion of art with the natural environment. Using nature as a canvas, the couple creatively joined forces to transform our environment into extraordinary scenarios by creating temporary installations that interact harmoniously with the surrounding nature.

The effervescence of this period brought together various movements such as Street Art and Pop Art, which exerted a reciprocal influence. Just as Warhol is considered the king of Pop Art, Haring was undoubtedly the precursor and visible head of Street Art. In fact, both artists have become icons of New York culture in the 1980s as “leaders” of a cultural revolution that came to define an entire era. Their intertwined lives and mutual influence were undoubtedly the catalyst for a new wave in the evolution of popular culture that perfectly defined the spirit of society at the time.

As a whole, this collection of art from the second avant-garde is a testament to the power of art to challenge, inspire and transform. Each work is a window to a world of infinite possibilities, where imagination is the only limit. It is a reminder that art not only reflects reality, but also redefines it.

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Arte Contemporáneo, colección, grandes genios, Private collection

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Written by Andrea Domenech

24 May 2024

Allegories and baroque opulence

Two women protagonists of a universe created for your delight. Pleasures arranged for the enjoyment of two senses; sight and taste.

The composition of each of our works is clear, the female characters are arranged in the center as an axis from which the stage and the rest of the elements start. Each of these is wisely chosen to convey a message, the vanity and delight that the senses bring. The rooms where the scene takes place are cabinets of curiosities.

On the one hand the lot 35310192, the “kunstkammer” of a rich collector who has treasured “the healing of the blind man by Rubens” or a bronze sculpture of the Rape of Hippodamia as well as tables full of jewelry, shells, watches or coins that roll until they fall on the floor. This exuberance turns us into one more character of the painting since we are feeling a similar effect of enjoyment with its contemplation. The allegory of the view has two subtle details that transcend the material treasures, one serious nature that manifests itself behind the walls of the room and the globes where the name of America is intuited in a clear allusion to the whole world that is yet to be seen and discovered.

Taste is a banquet with only one guest (35310193). The lady occupies a place of honor so clear that everything around her is displayed for her to choose from. About forty delicacies in the room; game hanging from the ceiling, fruits overflowing from the table, trays like the one carried by the satyr barely have room on a tablecloth unable to contain so much food. Two scenes take place in the background, an inert one with the painting of the Banquet of the Rich Epulon and one full of life and realism, the lunch in a Flemish house with guests at the table, cooks and servants in an atmosphere of profound everyday life. Different worlds coexist in the same painting, the main scene being a waste of exquisiteness.

Why all this opulence? What is the message hidden in the paintings? The baroque language employed suggests both a delight in the contemplation of beautiful things and a moralizing message: being swept away by the pleasures of the senses can be all-consuming. The best way to understand this idea is through the monkeys that intersperse the scenes. They discreetly play a human role. Their attitudes ridicule man’s own behavior, drunkenness, gluttony, vanity and other sins are highlighted as a warning to the viewer. The art here can play with us and propose two paths after seeing the works: follow the author’s advice and flee from the excesses, or on the contrary let ourselves be carried away by the pleasures of the senses after being tempted by them.

Recommendations, Setdart

colección, High Period Painting

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Written by Andrea Domenech

22 May 2024

From Functionality to Art: the dignity of home furnishings

Setdart brings together an important selection of furniture

It is not usual that in the same auction we are able to go through the evolution of storage furniture and understand its adaptations to domestic needs. From the Gothic period to the period of Tous les Louis, both the conception of furniture and its appearance changed drastically, abandoning itself to new concepts such as comfort or mere formal elegance.

Since its beginnings, the northeast of the peninsula has been one of the most important centers in terms of furniture. The lot 35346498, a 15th century Catalan Gothic chest is a paradigmatic example of furniture that was, until the 16th century, a mirror of the status of its owners. With a large truncated pyramidal molded base, they are characterized by a structure of boards assembled with exposed dovetail ties, on which moldings simulating a frame are applied, as well as combs under the top. The front, made up of two or three panels (lot 35346500), presents what is possibly the hallmark of the coffers made in Barcelona, that is, a carved central false upright, openwork and applied according to the technique known as “Barcelona work”.

Already in the 16th century, the lot 35346501 speaks of this new typology that was to become the most representative piece of furniture of the Renaissance and Baroque periods: the writing desk. Although, especially at the end of the seventeenth century, the main function for which they were conceived passed to a second plane, enjoying an almost exclusively apparatus character, they were born as a sort of filing cabinet where the lords deposited the matters they were dealing with in the present. The desk in question, datable to the second half of the 16th century due to its Mannerist carved reliefs -which may remind us of those on the façade of the Sacred Chapel of the Savior of the World in Úbeda-, has a hinged lid on its front, which would be lost in subsequent decades in pursuit of pomp and circumstance.

A new revolution took place in the mid-seventeenth century, as one piece, the chest of drawers, would take center stage from 1730 onwards, combining the symbolism of the desk and the functions of the chest and the trunk, although structurally it is indebted to the sacristy chest of drawers.

The lot 35346503, from around 1700, when the typology was still in the process of assimilation, allows us not only to see how the variant with hinged top was another of the paths that the furniture originally took, but also to understand the relations that took place between Italy and Spain. That curve and counter-curve drawn by the fillets made of lemongrass wood at the ends of the drawers can be seen in Catalan pieces, not necessarily chests of drawers, but desk tables, which can easily be confused with their Italian counterparts or vice versa.

Moving on to the 18th century, it is curious to see the differences that can occur in two pieces possibly made in the same decade: the lot 35346499 and 35346505. The first is an Italian commode, from the Veneto region, from the last quarter of the eighteenth century, whose crescent profile, marquetry work and handles frame it within a neoclassical style; on the other hand, the second is a Catalan cabinet from the historical region of Empordà, of full rococo character, dated 1782, perhaps built as a wedding gift to the spouses whose initials are engraved under the top, this being topped by a pomegranate, symbol of fertility.

Artistic trends were therefore slow to travel far from the main centers, such as Venice, where the recent neoclassical style was already fully assimilated, while in the Empordà, far from the cosmopolitan Barcelona, and close to the nineteenth century, a rococo style was still in force, whose rock carvings had been reviled by the Catalan high spheres for years.

Finally, the 19th century, perhaps without the need to reinvent itself, opted to mix all the styles developed in previous centuries, in a sort of eclectic amalgam that, hand in hand with industry, produced incessantly. The lot 35248722, a mezzanine by Jean-Louis-Benjamin Gros from around 1850, combines, in this sense, the ornamentation of Louis XVI, with a timid concavity on the sides that brings that movement that was dispensed with in the late 18th century.

There are more pieces to keep that complement the above mentioned, disparate typologies from different centers, with an extraordinary quality that make this tender a good opportunity to get a piece of the history of European furniture.

Recommendations, Select Lots, Setdart

furniture

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Written by Andrea Domenech

21 May 2024

The Elegance and virtuosity of marble in sculpture

The Elegance and Virtuosity of Marble in Sculpture

Setdart dedicates a monographic auction to marble virtuosity

The 19th century was the great century of the expositions, a hymn to industrial progress and globalization. Although London in 1851 with its first Universal Exposition in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park has been recognized as the best known of these events, it was France in 1798 who inaugurated this tradition with the French Industrial Exposition.

Exhibitions of Fine Arts or Arts and Industry were the ones that brought together new sculptural works or works on canvas, spurring the creativity of artists under the mantle of competitiveness and economic benefits. Naturally, the exhibition of these works generated debates among the attendees, depending on the subject matter, such as the nudity of the female body. One of the most cited aspects of the nudes could be the effect they had on the viewer in relation to morality.

Related to this debate was the theory of the chastity of marble, that is, a condition that works of art would possess and that would exempt them from being perceived from sexual desire. In the 18th century, Wincklemann and Mengs already proposed sculpture as ideal representations of the human body with a spirit of its own that should not give rise to lewd interpretations. The pristineness of the Carrara marble was in keeping with this idea of purity. In addition, a distinction should be made between the artistic nude and the anatomical nude, the former being beautiful, tasteful, and the latter realistic, vulgar.

Once this point is clarified, it is possible to correctly understand the sculpture of marble in the context of the 19th century and the pieces that have been auctioned.

Lot 35360165 is one of the oldest of the auctioned lots – together with the 16th century bust corresponding to lot 35340542 -, an interesting marble of Dionysus accompanied by a can, from the 18th century, partially lost, following Greco-Roman models, with an elegant contrapposto and dynamic leg crossing that creates a sinuous line at the hips. It is an excellent example of the survival of these models that enjoyed a second youth with the discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum around 1740.

By Giuseppe Lazzerini, lot 35233500, is the most interesting piece of the auction, a representation of Pales, protector of the land and domestic livestock. Lazzerini is an artist supported by the market, with recent auctions of up to €35,000, so the estimate of €30,000 to €40,000 for the sculpture tendered at Setdart is not surprising.

The partially nude goddess, with her bust uncovered, is a good example of what has been previously stated in relation to the theory of the marble chastityThe sex is subtly covered by the drapery, as is the case with the Venus of the lot 35340545, although in this case it is the foliage, chiseled with great skill, which prevents us from seeing the intimate parts of the goddess. It is a work of a markedly neoclassical character, inspired not only by Greco-Roman sculpture, but also by the work “Captive Love” by the Belgian Charles Auguste Fraikin.

But the 19th century was not only about male and female nudes, as philosophers, orators or politicians such as Demosthenes – 35248749 -, role models for nineteenth-century society, found their niche in the production of certain artists. To cite some personalities who saw in Demosthenes a source of inspiration, we have Henry Clay or Georges Clemenceau, the latter even writing a book about him.

Finally, at the end of the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century, academicism suffered a hard setback when it lost the favor of the new generation of artists who found inspiration far from tradition, based on the principles of classicism. Although there are still some pieces that drink from these precepts, such as the lot 35340398, by the Italian Umberto Biagini, the Art Deco period finds in rationalism, monumentality and geometry the pillars on which to build its expressiveness. The lot 35268645 is a good example of this, since what a century ago was the reinterpretation of the Greco-Roman nude under the magnifying glass of academicism, now becomes an enigmatic hieratism, almost Egyptian in style, which contains the organicist movements of modernism just twenty years ago.

We are, therefore, faced with an auction that focuses on the monumentality of the sculpture, the marble chastity and the debates that this has generated throughout the nineteenth century, with a nude that has managed to detach itself from the coercive academic canons to fly free under the firmament of the avant-garde of the twentieth century.

Recommendations, Setdart

colección, marble, sculpture

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Written by Andrea Domenech

17 May 2024

Art and Culture of the Far East: A Private Collection at Auction

Setdart presents an important private collection of Chinese and Southeast Asian art. Almost sixty lots where sculpture, architectural elements, furniture and decorative arts participate in a set with a life of its own, the result of a lifetime dedicated to oriental collecting.

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Chinese Art, Collecting, collection, contemporary art, great geniuses, oriental, Oriental Art, private collection, Private collection

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Written by Andrea Domenech

17 May 2024

Art and Culture of the Far East: A Private Collection at Auction

Setdart presents an important private collection of Chinese and Southeast Asian art

Just as in the sixteenth century aristocrats and kings focused their efforts on acquiring unusual objects for their cabinets of curiosities, a sort of Renaissance collecting driven by the mere desire to know, the nineteenth and twentieth century, as a result of prosperity and leisure, made it possible for a greater number of people to participate in collecting, democratizing it and enriching the fields it touched.

Although the collecting of oriental pieces began as early as the 19th century, partly spurred by the forced opening of Japan to foreign countries through the Harris Treaty in 1858, the countries of Southeast Asia lagged behind their northern neighbors, possibly due to a lack of knowledge of the cultures that developed in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand or Burma.

During the last quarter of the twentieth century, however, there has been an increase in market interest in these cultures, mainly because of the exploration of an unexplored terrain that collectors have welcomed, taking an interest in these pieces and the culture that encompasses them; in this way, specialized fairs were born that were able to value the works, giving them a place of importance within collecting. In addition, the rise of indigenous wealth in the 21st century, which seeks the repatriation of works that left in the 1970s and 1980s, has ensured that Southeast Asia has not lost the interest it has generated for decades.

The collection that Setdart is bidding for had its germ in the 90s of the twentieth century, the result of the collecting zeal of a person who saw in Southeast Asia an opportunity, not only economic, but intellectual, because diving into the vast oriental symbology is not easy for the Western mind, assuming a challenge and an exercise of full dedication and study. This interest in art was not something spontaneous, as the collecting environment was a constant in his home, with his father dedicating his efforts to other areas of collecting as well.

There are many lots that we could highlight, however, we will focus on a few that represent their place of origin, thus creating a far eastern geographical network.

From the south of the state of Rajasthan, in India, an extremely rare piece stands out for having come down to us without having been dismantled: a Jain altar or parikara in partially polychrome marble from the X-XIII centuries, lot 35315846. Normally, when these types of pieces appear on the market, they appear in parts; the finial, a frieze or one of the uprights. However, the fact that the altar has most of its pieces is an unusual fact, raising the price of the piece.

China, of course, is well represented, although we would like to highlight three lots, which although tendered separately, are part of the same group. It consists of three heads of Louhan of the XVII – XVIII centuries, in sandstone, symbolizing desire, love and joy. They stand out for the expressiveness of their faces, especially the representation of joy, with a marked naturalism that contrasts with the size of the skulls, symbolic dimensions that reflect the degree of illumination of the characters, as occurs with the deity Shou Lao.

Lotes Cabeza Luohan; China, Dinastía Qing, siglos XVII-XVIII

In Indonesia, there is an imposing piece, lot 35315854, from the XVI century made of white sandstone, from the Mayapajit Empire. She is a Prajnaparamita, Buddhist goddess of transcendental knowledge. A similar work was until 1978 in the National Museum of Ethnology in the Netherlands, when it was returned to the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta, where it is currently located.

There are several works from Vietnam in the collection, but we highlight the lot 35315849, a Champa deity from the 11th century. The pieces of the Champa culture, for some time now, have proliferated in auction, which is directly related to the interest aroused in recent years.

In neighboring Cambodia, where several of the lots also come from, a head of Vishnu from the Khmer Empire, 18th-19th century, in polished stone, lot 35315833. It is interesting to note that the polishing of the upper third of the sculpture has been caused by the wear and tear of hands touching the piece for centuries, seeking the intercession of the divinity.

Finally, Tibet also has a presence in the auction with several lots, although the one that arouses most interest is 35315878, an embossed silver crown from the 19th century. This type of crowns were worn by Tibetan oracles when they performed trances. The bodhisattva figures in their most wrathful nature is often represented by the five skulls, each representing the five Dhyani or wisdom buddhas.

Recommendations, Setdart

Chinese Art, Collecting, oriental, Oriental Art, Private collection

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Written by Andrea Domenech

12 May 2024

Important private collection: The Legacy of the great artists of the 20th and 21st Century

The Legacy of the Great Artists of the 20th and 21st Century

Important private collection

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Go to online catalog

With a scientific background, but with an innate intuition and creative spirit, our collector was initiated into the exciting path of the contemporary art world as a result of his growth as a professional in the world of advertising. His travels around the world gave him the opportunity to discover what he calls “art in motion”, that which, in the midst of the hustle and bustle and frenetic pace of cities like New York, is capable of transforming everyday life. In fact, it was precisely in New York City when the sight through his airplane window of the thousands of undulating saffron-colored scarves that Christo had installed in his “Gates” in Central Park sparked a need to experiment with contemporary art, which led to his irrepressible passion for collecting.

Talking with him, we became aware of the deep significance he gives to the fact of collecting and, therefore, of the transcendence and impact that art has had on his life. The epiphany he felt after his encounter with Christo’s work made him understand the transformative capacity of art, whose power transcends the merely aesthetic to touch the most intimate layers of the human psyche.

In this respect, each of the meticulously selected works embodies a narrative, a story waiting to be discovered and interpreted anew with every glance, constantly evolving as we do. In fact, the relationship established between art and science through many of the great artists that are part of the collection, is another example of the indivisible link that for him exists between life and art, acting as two sides of the same coin that feed back and enrich each other.

The collection, developed in a time frame ranging from the second avant-garde to the most current artistic expressions, is, as a whole, a fascinating account of the legacy that artists of the caliber of Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, Keith Haring, Christo, Jean Dubuffet, Karel Appel, Pierre Alechinsky, Peter Haley, Damien Hirst, Bernar Venet, or Jan Fabre have given to the most recent history. The wide range of media, from painting and sculpture to installations, conceptual art and photography, find a solid and revealing representation and become not only a vivid testimony of the evolution of artistic practice, but also evidence of our own evolution as a society.

After the end of the Second World War, a new stage shook the artistic panorama: the second avant-garde began and with it a fertile and creatively intense period in which different styles and movements followed one another at a frenetic pace. The political and cultural crisis that ravaged Europe caused the world’s artistic capital to move from Paris to New York. In this sense, the collection we present here reflects and encourages the dialogue established between the artistic proposals of both capitals. From the hand of artists as decisive as Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Jean Dubuffet, Keith Haring, Sam Francis, Pierre Alechinsky, Victor Vasarely, Christo or Ives Klein we begin an exciting journey that introduces us to informalism, following with pop art, kinetic art or new realism until we reach the irruption of conceptual art.

In recent decades and advancing at the pace set by the avant-garde, artistic currents emerged and fed back on each other with fascinating speed, blurring the boundaries between the various trends that have shaped the current artistic landscape. The multiplicity of perspectives, cultural influences and individual visions that make up contemporary artistic practice, translucid through the infinite number of styles and techniques that, as conceptual art has already shown us, have revolutionized the very notion of art.

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12 May 2024

Important private collection: The Legacy of the great artists of the 20th and 21st Century

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10 May 2024

The great Rolex icons

Rolex, the Swiss watchmaking firm, is almost certainly one of the most famous in history, renowned for the quality of its creations and the savoir-faire that characterizes it. Their designs represent a perpetual quest for precision, strength, luxury and excellence. From its beginnings in the early twentieth century, the brand was linked to sports competitions, being the first to achieve a watertight watch that tested the limits and resistance of the machinery.

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10 May 2024

Rolex: icons of watches

The great Rolex icons

Luxury days

In all areas of society, we find celebrities with different models of the renowned watchmaker. From Picasso or Andy Warhol, to Roger Federer or Michael Jordan, Ed Sheeran, Olivia Palermo, Victoria Beckham, Brad Pitt and Sofia Vergara.

If you are a watch aficionado, collector, or treasure hunter, Setdart’s upcoming “Luxury Day” auctions will allow you to bid on true watchmaking gems. We have a selection of the most special Rolex models.

Rolex Daytona 6263

Lot 35286556

The iconic Rolex Daytona 6263 is a watch that combines timeless elegance with precision engineering. This watch gained popularity in the 1960s among racing enthusiasts and professional drivers.

Although finding a Daytona model today in auction catalogs is not extremely complicated, the model 6263 in 18k yellow gold is one of the latest versions of this iconic chronograph, one of the most sought after and most difficult to obtain. It is equipped with screwed pushbuttons for water resistance. Its impeccable black dial and bezel contrast with the yellow gold case, making it a watch that exudes a sense of sophistication and opulence.

Rolex Green Dial Daytona Full Stickers 2023 “John Mayer”.

Lot 35286557

The Rolex Daytona “John Mayer” is a masterpiece of watchmaking, representing the opulence and precision of the brand with its iconic aesthetics. It is named after the musician and watch enthusiast who has, as one of his prized possessions, this model.

Meticulously designed with a case and fixed bezel with tachymeter markings, in gleaming 18k yellow gold, and a spectacular green dial that radiates elegance. It perfectly encapsulates the essence of Rolex: the insatiable pursuit of excellence.

Rolex Submariner

First launched in 1953, the Submariner was the first watertight wristwatch that could be worn underwater. Rolex has released more than 20 versions and remains one of the most popular watches on the planet. Its iconic design has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 70 years. It is defined by a unidirectional rotating bezel, which is used to count elapsed time underwater; a watertight Oyster case; and a numbered dial with dot markers and luminous batons for easy legibility.

It has been seen on the wrists of numerous public figures, although perhaps the most recognizable is the British secret agent James Bond, who has worn several references throughout the 1960s and 1970s on the big screen.

Rolex Yatch-Master 40 Ref 126622

Lot 35311122

The Yatch-Master model, first launched in 1992, is the most luxurious option for those looking for a sporty, water-resistant watch with a nautical design. Considered a sports watch, it has a rotating timing bezel.

It comes in a wide variety of metals and case sizes, and various bracelet styles and bezel materials. It shares much with the Submariner, but approaches the superior finish of the Daytona. It is a benchmark of the firm, being incredibly popular and sought after for its elegant design and impeccable quality.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date Vintage, year 1964

The Rolex Day-Date is one of the brand’s most iconic timepieces, the perfect fusion of luxury and functionality. It boasts exceptional accuracy and reliability, powered by an automatic movement, with a name that stems from its unique feature of displaying both the day of the week and the date. It has adorned the wrists of countless leaders and influential people, as the ultimate symbol of success and power.

This model 1803, from 1964, is, in turn, a reflection of sophistication and femininity. Coated with one of the rarest metals used by the firm, Everose gold, a variant of rose gold made by the watchmaker in its own foundry, makes it a very special piece. Only 8% of Day-Dates production is produced in rose gold. Enjoy the charm of this iconic timepiece and experience the legacy of Rolex craftsmanship at its finest.

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1 May 2024

Meninas Madrid Gallery, edition 2024

Auction May 13th

The famous meninas by Velázquez arrive at the Setdart auction house, reinvented and reinterpreted with the inspiration that Madrid evokes in different artists and celebrities and under the project of the artist Antonio Azzato.
For yet another year, Setdart will host the charity auction dedicated to these iconic sculptures, which have previously been exhibited in different spaces in the city of Madrid, making the public space a place of exhibition. The event will take place on 13 May and, on this occasion, 11 Meninas will be on sale at the auction.

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1 May 2024

Meninas Madrid Gallery, edition 2024

Meninas Madrid Gallery

The charity auction of the Meninas Madrid Gallery collection

The famous meninas of Velázquez arrive at the Setdart auction house, reinvented and reinterpreted with the inspiration that Madrid evokes to different artists and celebrities and under the project of the artist Antonio Azzato.

One more year, Setdart will host the charity auction dedicated to these iconic sculptures that have previously been exhibited in different spaces of the city of Madrid, making the public space a place of exhibition. The event will take place on Setdart and, on this occasion, 11 Meninas will be available for purchase during the auction.

Meninas Madrid Gallery is an artistic initiative that transforms the streets of Madrid into an open-air museum through sculptural reinterpretations of the famous work “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez. These large-scale works, designed by local and international artists, are strategically placed in different emblematic places of the capital, becoming points of cultural and tourist interest.

The project has become an annual tradition since its inception in 2018, attracting visitors from all over the world to enjoy this unique and diverse artistic expression. In addition, each edition presents new interpretations of the Meninas, exploring a wide range of styles, techniques and themes, ensuring a fresh and exciting experience for Madrid’s residents and visitors year after year.

This year the project counts with personalities such as Roca Rey, Tomás Páramo and María G. de Jaime, Critina Oria, Guitarcello and Vanesa Iacono, Natalia Jiménez, Ruth Fernandez, Beatriz Rodriguez Lobo, Edu Valcárcel, Pata de Gallo, Alberto Bueno and Úrsula Perez Ruiz. What they all have in common is their passion for art and their desire to contribute to Madrid’s rich cultural tradition through their different proposals.

Each participant addresses different themes in their work, such as identity, history or contemporary society, adding layers of meaning and depth to their pieces. This diversity of approaches and perspectives ensures that Meninas Madrid Gallery 2024 will be an enriching and stimulating experience for the public, inviting them to reflect on art, history and culture in a more contemporary way.

The creator of the project, the renowned Venezuelan artist Antonio Azzato, has left an indelible mark on the contemporary art world with his imaginative and provocative ideas based on the iconic figures of the meninas. Acquiring one of his pieces exhibited in the streets of the capital can be an exciting opportunity, and at the same time philanthropic, since the profits will be given to the SOL Foundation (Safe Online), whose concern arises from the protection of children on the Internet, to achieve the safety and welfare of all minors in the digital environment.

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Prado Museum

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24 April 2024

Gucci: More than a brand, a fashion icon

Gucci is synonymous with a fascinating legacy, a living history of fashion almost a century later after its founding.

Offering exclusivity while creating an inclusive culture, alternating classic and very trendy products and meeting the expectations of young consumers as much as possible, these are some of the strategic elements that Gucci is currently following to achieve an explosive growth that is repositioning it with a wide visibility and popularity among the new generations. In this context, Setdart presents an auction of 55 lots of the iconic Italian brand in which stand out the bags, objects of cult and desire for fashion lovers.

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24 April 2024

Gucci: More than a brand, a fashion icon

Gucci is synonymous with a fascinating legacy, a living history of fashion almost a century later after its founding

The history of Gucci is a fascinating narrative that is intertwined with the evolution of modern fashion. From its modest beginnings in 1921 as a small leather goods store to becoming a global luxury powerhouse, Gucci has maintained an impeccable reputation for exceptional craftsmanship, unparalleled innovation and unmistakable style.

The logo of the two intertwined G’s comes from the name of the brand’s founder, Guccio Gucci, a young Florentine who, impressed by luxury, opened in the 1920’s, in his hometown, an artisan store selling handbags, tricolor belts and moccasins handcrafted in leather. With the help of three of his sons – Aldo, Vasco and Rodolfo – Guccio beganexpanding thecompany by opening branches in Milan and Rome. After the end of World War II, with the world and the economy reawakening, the brand began its internationalization by establishing a branch in New York.

Gucci products soon became a favorite of the Italian elite, and its status was cemented when European royalty and Hollywood celebrities began to wear its creations.

Over the years, Gucci has dressed some of the most influential names in entertainment, fashion and culture. From Audrey Hepburn Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the brightest stars have been photographed with Gucci’s iconic bags, shoes and accessories, creating moments that have remained engraved in the collective memory.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis con el bolso Gucci., 1970

One of the most prominent names is Tom Ford, whose creative direction in the 1990s revitalized the brand with his sensual and provocative aesthetic, redefining fashion at the time and establishing Gucci as a symbol of glamour and sophistication.

More recently, Alessandro Michele has taken Gucci to new heights with his eclectic, maximalist approach. Since taking over as creative director in 2015, Michele has transformed the brand with his quirky and romantic aesthetic, combining vintage elements with contemporary touches to create a unique take on fashion that has captivated a new generation of fans.

Gucci’s history is marked by legendary collaborations and defining moments in fashion. In the 1960s, the “Jackie” bag became a symbol of elegance thanks to its association with the iconic first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. In the 1970s, the brand introduced the famous double G pattern, which has become an emblem of status and sophistication.

Today, Gucci continues to be the preferred choice of movie stars, musicians, athletes and opinion leaders around the world. Its bold designs, impeccable craftsmanship and commitment to innovation have secured its place as one of the most influential and admired brands in the fashion industry.

Elisabeth Olsen con el bolso Gucci Sylvie

From runways to red carpets, Gucci handbags are a symbol of status and style, a statement of elegance and distinction that transcends passing trends. With each creation, Gucci reminds us that fashion is more than clothes and accessories; it is a form of expression, a manifestation of individuality and a tribute to beauty and creativity.

Setdart’s May 2nd auction is a tribute to Gucci, a brand that has left an indelible mark on the history of fashion.

External references to Roman urns

Prado Museum

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19 April 2024

Echoes of the Classical World: An Extraordinary Library

Echoes of the classical world

An extraordinary library

Auction day April 23

With this phrase Pliny “the Younger” expressed both his love for reading and its importance in the development of knowledge. The internal dialogue between oneself and the ideas proposed by the pages is not a mere conversation. The Socratic method within classical philosophy developed ideas by discussing and questioning them.

Thousands of years separate us from classical authors such as Strabo or Ptolemy, and yet the ideas they proposed have had an echo that still survives today. Such radical paradigm shifts, such as geography in the case of the former or heliocentric theory in the latter, are today the most basic pillars on which some of the most relevant knowledge is based. The passion for knowing the world and unveiling its secrets thanks to science and reason have defined the way in which humanity progresses. We could not understand this development without the power of books. If ideas are not transferred to paper, they may disappear or be misrepresented. Take, for example, the case of the mythical library of Alexandria.

By the 4th century B.C., the Egyptian city was not only a place where the ambition was to treasure all the knowledge of the world, from ancient Egyptian manuscripts to the latest volumes of Greek philosophy, but also a place where the most prestigious scientists and intellectuals of the Hellenic world could experiment and study, as well as teach future generations. Thanks to this climate, Ptolemy was able to postulate his theories and disseminate them to the present day. The specimen we present at auction is a reflection of how this classic past has had a vital impact on our lives on a continuous basis.

The protection of knowledge through the formation of a library or the collection of books has been one of the most valuable resources for progress. If it had not been for the ancient libraries, the classical authors would not have transformed the world, and, without the monastic libraries of the Middle Ages, all that knowledge would have been lost, making it impossible to conceive of the Modern Age. It is therefore clear that all libraries play to a greater or lesser extent a fundamental role in our history.

A significant part of the collection we present is the classical world. Greek and Roman authors define our cultural identity from the depths: Aristotle, Ptolemy, Strabo, Plutarch and Pliny are undoubtedly the protagonists of this library. The volumes that make up the catalog have an additional attraction, the date of printing: the sixteenth century and the panorama of the Renaissance. Copies such as the incunabulum of Pliny’s Natural History attest to the relevance of the classical world in one of the most fascinating and key periods of human progress. We invite you to travel through a crucial part of our history, to immerse ourselves in words that were written thousands of years ago by the most brilliant minds and to feel history more vividly each time we turn to the next page.

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Prado Museum

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19 April 2024

Echoes of the Classical World: An Extraordinary Library

“I talk only to myself and to my books”.

With this phrase Pliny “the Younger” expressed both his love of reading and its importance in the development of knowledge. The internal dialogue between oneself and the ideas proposed by the pages is not a mere conversation. The Socratic method in classical philosophy developed ideas through discussion and questioning.

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Books, The Quijote

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Written by Andrea Domenech

17 April 2024

Grau Sala: the artist who did not want to succumb to the avant-gardes

Auction 23 April. Among the many Spanish artists whose work falls within the framework of the Paris school, Emili Grau Sala is a particularly singular case. Far from succumbing to the hegemonic dominance of the avant-garde, Grau Sala refused to subscribe to any of the isms that at the time ruled the international art scene.

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17 April 2024

Grau Sala: the artist who did not want to succumb to the avant-gardes

Auction day April 23

From the end of the 19th century, Paris became the favorite destination of a long line of Catalan artists who, from Casas and Rusiñol to Miró and Clavé through Nonell and Casagemas, found in the French capital the fertile ground for an artistic revolution that began with the Impressionists and culminated with the avant-garde.

In this regard, the upheaval of the civil war in Spain precipitated the beginning of a new migratory stage, in which Paris would become the main destination for a large number of artists who supported the Republican side. Thanks to the unifying character that in terms of intellectuality and artistic creation defined the Parisian cultural scene since the mid-nineteenth century, the city received a flood of creators from all over Europe, who, attracted by the unparalleled artistic development led by the avant-garde, fulfilled their desire to abandon the artistic practices of a fin-de-siècle society anchored in the past. The isms that followed one another at a dizzying pace made Paris the dream of any artist, with the highest number of creators per square meter in the world.

From this confluence of exiled artists who, under the banner of absolute aesthetic freedom, settled in Paris during the period between 1900 and 1940, the so-called Paris school was born, whose name, coined for the first time in 1925 by art critic André Warnod, rather than designating a hegemonic artistic current, refers to the leading position that the city attained as the world capital of Western art.

Among the many Spanish artists whose activity is framed in the school of Paris, Emili Grau Sala is a particularly unique case. Far from succumbing to the hegemonic dominance of the avant-garde, Grau Sala refused to ascribe to any of the isms that ruled the international art scene at the time. During the 25 years he remained in Paris, since his move to the Montparnasse district in 1936, he never renounced his style, defending to the last consequences his fidelity to a colorist figuration that soon made him known as the successor of the Impressionist spirit and values.

In this sense, the works under bidding manifest the vision and vital attitude under which Grau Sala gave form and life to his art. Unlike many of his contemporaries who, like him, lived in the midst of the war, Grau Sala never aspired to be a chronicler of his time. In fact, in the face of the horror of a tumultuous historical context, the Catalan-born artist constructed an authentic hymn to life in which idle, everyday scenes become a true refuge in which there is still room for hope.

Lote 35306628 expuesto en Setdart Madrid

Through his paintings imbued with an unconditional hedonism of gentle and poetic naturalism in the wake of his admired Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard and Duffy, Grau Sala seems to want to escape from reality, recreating with a certain nostalgia a past and happy time, where life could still be a journey of joy. With an agile brushstroke and an intense and vibrant chromatism that dispenses with the limits imposed by drawing to give body to the forms, the artist demonstrated an excellent ability to recreate the elegant and lively atmosphere of scenarios that, such as racetracks, theatrical performances or domestic interiors, made up the artist’s most outstanding creative corpus. The delicacy, grace and finesse that emerges from them, places Grau Sala in the orbit of a decorative painting that with the French post-impressionism raised its plastic values to its maximum expression.

In his obstinate purpose of constructing a reality antithetical to historical events, the artist offers us a creative universe that we could well extract from some of the passages that Proust narrates in his masterpiece “In Search of Lost Time” of which Grau Sala would end up making an illustrated edition.

Neither the Spanish Civil War that sent him into exile, nor World War II, nor Nazi-occupied France, nor Franco’s regime, nor the division of the world into two irreconcilable halves could obscure the work of an artist who never ceased in his efforts to achieve an ideal based on the harmonious and lyrical capture of beauty, reminding us that the most human and beautiful side of life can also be born and grow in the darkest times.

Coming soon to auction...

External references to Roman urns

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12 April 2024

Iconic Design Pieces

Setdart, in its upcoming design auction, promises to showcase an exquisite variety of pieces by renowned designers from different corners of the world. From the Nordic countries to France, Germany, England, the United States, Italy or Spain, this auction is bound to captivate design enthusiasts with its diverse offerings.

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12 April 2024

Iconic design pieces

Iconic pieces of design:

Setdart, in its upcoming design auction scheduled for April 17, promises to showcase an exquisite variety of pieces by renowned designers from different corners of the world. From the Nordic countries to France, Germany, England, the United States, Italy or Spain, this auction is bound to captivate design enthusiasts with its diverse offerings.

Arne Jacobsen, Charles & Ray Eames and Verner Panton among others

The Scandinavian design movement, celebrated worldwide for its timeless elegance and functionality, will be one of the protagonists. Icons of this tradition, such as Arne Jacobsen, Charles and Ray Eames, Verner Panton and Eero Saarinen, will be represented with their avant-garde models. Scandinavian design, characterized by simplicity, honesty and craftsmanship, resonates with fans and collectors around the world for its understated elegance and focus on essential elements, devoid of unnecessary ornamentation.

Among the auction highlights is Arne Jacobsen’s iconic ‘Swan Chair’, a special edition created for Fritz Hansen’s 50th anniversary. This exclusive piece with a hand-polished cast bronze swivel base has a fully upholstered ergonomic seat, chocolate brown leather interior and chocolate brown suede exterior, details that accentuate its elegance.

Another outstanding piece is the “Grasshopper” Chaise Longue, Model FK-87, designed in 1967 by Preben Fabricius and Jørgen Kastholm. This sleek design embodies the essence of Scandinavian style with its clean lines and unparalleled comfort.

From France comes Charlotte Perriand’s ‘Banquette’, designed between 1959 and 1967. This piece, part of a series created for the executives and staff of the mining company “Miferma” in Mauritania, shows Perriand’s innovative approach to functional furniture design.

Lot 35301986. Charlotte Perriand. This lot is exhibited at Setdart Barcelona.

Naming more French designs, the fun ‘Ribbon’ Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort adds a touch of whimsy to any space and is one of the prized pieces, for example, in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. Likewise, this iconic piece that had its stellar place on the small screen as part of the Star Trek props. Specifically, it first appeared in the episode “The Cloud Minders”, where this chair is used to indicate the high status of the more affluent and influential class.

Moving on to avant-garde Italian designs, we present the ‘Elda’ Armchair by Joe Colombo. The version offered in our auction is a beautifully restored first edition in vibrant green velvet. This iconic piece, synonymous with space-age aesthetics, made its big screen debut in the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) and is famous for its retro-futuristic design inspired by fiberglass boat hulls. Colombo’s innovative use of materials and ergonomic design make the Elda Armchair both visually striking and exceptionally comfortable.

James Bond "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977)

Designer furniture from the second half of the 20th century is a hit at international auctions because it is distinguished by its creativity and originality. Designers of this era challenged established conventions and experimented with shapes, materials and manufacturing techniques. Its iconic pieces have become symbols of modern design and are highly valued for their beauty and functionality.

These are pieces that reflect the social, economic and technological changes of the time. These pieces capture the aesthetics and spirit of their time, from the post-war era of optimism and innovation to the experimentation and activism of the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, these pieces have intrinsic value as historical objects that tell the story of the world in which they were created.

Another important factor contributing to its success is its exclusivity and rarity. Many of these pieces were produced in limited quantities or even as one-off prototypes, making them highly sought after by collectors and design enthusiasts. The fact that they are difficult to find increases their value on the auction market, where buyers are willing to pay high prices for the opportunity to own a unique and significant object.

In short, the success of designer furniture from the second half of the 20th century at international auctions is due to its aesthetic innovation, its historical and cultural relevance, and its exclusivity and rarity. These pieces are not only objects of beauty and functionality, but also tangible testimonials to the creativity and vision of the designers who created them, making them valuable investments, cherished for generations to come.

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Prado Museum

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Recommendations, Sculpture, Setdart

Arne Jacobsen, Charles EAMES, Design, italian design, nordic design

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10 April 2024

Le Grand Tour: The fascination of the traveler

Setdart is inviting tenders for an interesting collection of bronzes from the collections of travellers who toured the main European capitals in the 19th century. More than fifty lots will be on offer to satisfy our explorer’s cravings.

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10 April 2024

Le Grand Tour: The fascination of the traveler

Le Grand Tour: The traveller's fascination

Setdart is inviting bidders for an interesting collection of bronzes from the collections of travellers who toured the main European capitals in the 19th century. More than fifty lots will be on offer to satisfy our explorer’s cravings.

If you had been an aristocrat in the 18th or 19th centuries, you could have completed your education with a period of travel (between eight months and eight years) on the European continent. At the age of 21, accompanied by a tutor, and with Italy as a key destination, we would have learned about politics, culture and, of course, art.

On our way through France we would have gone straight to Paris, where we would have received French, horseback riding or fencing lessons, rubbing shoulders with the sophisticated Parisian society, which would have helped us greatly in refining our manners and showing off our new skills back home.

It goes without saying that in Rome we would have been victims of a Stendhal syndrome and, once recovered, we would have fallen into the irrepressible desire to acquire for our collections bronze models of all the marble wonders that had taken our breath away during our visit to the Italian peninsula. These superb pieces are the fruit of a fascination for Greco-Roman art and, with the desire to possess a piece of Western history, bronze artists put all their skill into emulating the sculpture of the past, the zenith of artistic creation.

Among the pieces to be auctioned in this auction, there are some that are directly derived from archaeological models of Greco-Roman antiquity, such as the lot of 35253998which represents the Venus CalypigiaThe original was unearthed in Herculaneum in the 18th century and now rests in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Another good example of these reproductions can be found in the lot 35254024this time with Diana Hunterwhose original model comes from a Greek bronze from the 4th century B.C. The pairs of busts, such as that of Diana and Apollo, were also very well received by collectors, sometimes in versions of larger and well-known pieces, such as the Apollo of Belvedere in a smaller format, which we can well see in the lot 35254004.

But the bronze artists of the 19th century did not live by sculpture alone, as the decorative arts were also providers of highly successful models. One of the most fruitful was the Warwick Tumbler, represented in our auction by lots 35254014 and 35254011.

Thanks to this type of pieces, the most distinguished travelers were able to take with them true works of art created by the best artists of the time, a souvenir of their unforgettable stay, a sort of “souvenir” of their stay. memories that, more than a century later, have an entity of their own, as they tell us about experiences that shaped the thinking of the European elites of the 18th and 19th centuries and that, today, can be acquired by any of us to continue writing their own history in contemporary collections.

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Recommendations, Sculpture, Setdart

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28 March 2024

Sol Lewitt: From Minimalism to Conceptual Art

Sol Lewitt, a fundamental representative of minimalism and one of the fathers of conceptual art, will be one of the stars of the next auction

Sol Lewitt arrived in New York in 1953, a time when abstract expressionism was positioned as the artistic movement par excellence of American culture. However, and as a result of his early work as a graphic designer in collaboration with architects such as I.M. Pei, Lewitt felt that abstract expressionism had already exhausted all the creative possibilities it could offer, and that it had therefore become a corseted and obsolete movement.

It was in this context that Lewit came into contact with the new artistic currents that, like the minimalism of the 1960s, gave impetus to a new conception of art completely distanced from expressionist postulates. In this sense, the creative corpus of the American artist acquired an absolutely crucial role in the definition and expansion of the aesthetic principles that defined this artistic current, which, as its name suggests, was based on the extreme simplification of forms, the reduction of elements to the essential and the use of industrial materials, thus stripping the work of any emotional connotation.

In fact, one of Lewitt’s most significant contributions to minimalist art was his use of basic geometry and simple shapes, such as lines, squares and cubes. These elements were systematically combined to create abstract compositions that explored the relationship between form, space and color.

This is the case of the monumental gouche in tender belonging to the series “Lines in all directions”. In it, Lewitt explores the repetition and chromatic variation of a simple line that, intertwining in different directions, results in a complex web, through which the artist urges us to reflect on the perception of the apparently simple.

The work, which unlike others was entirely made by the artist himself, is ultimately the tangible manifestation of his thought, in which the ideas that precede the execution become the real work of art, thereby laying the foundations for the future development of conceptual art.

In this aspect, Lewitt’s approach to art as an intellectual and conceptual process in which the materialization of the work did not have to be carried out by its creator, challenged the traditional notion of authorship, questioning the idea of originality in art.

Defying the conventions of art, Sol Lewitt marked a before and after in the development of contemporary art, influencing subsequent generations of artists who still today continue to be inspired by the legacy of this creator who questioned our understanding of art and its meaning.

External references to Roman urns

Prado Museum

Wikipedia

Recommendations, Setdart

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Regular Post

Written by Andrea Domenech

28 March 2024

Sol Lewitt: From Minimalism to Conceptual Art

Sol Lewitt, a fundamental representative of minimalism and one of the fathers of conceptual art, will be one of the stars of the next auction

News, Setdart

Regular Post

Written by Andrea Domenech

26 March 2024

Fine jewelry: Luxury and transcendence

Luxury brands and leading houses in the sector are betting more than ever on fine jewelry, taking advantage of a market in constant growth. As we enter this fascinating universe, it is crucial to understand that the creation of a piece of jewelry is a meticulous process that demands an exceptional level of skill and expertise. In addition, the prestige and reputation of a firm play a fundamental role in the valuation of its creations. Emblematic names such as Tiffany & Co, Cartier or Van Cleef & Arpels represent the very essence of exclusivity and excellence, which intensifies the desire for their pieces exponentially.

Tiffany & Co stands as one of the most iconic firms in the world of fine jewelry, being hailed by the New York press as “the King of Diamonds”. Founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1837, his original vision was to provide unique and artistic jewelry, collaborating with leading international designers such as Elsa Peretti or Paloma Picasso. The legendary movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, where Audrey Hepburn delighted the audience while devouring a croissant in front of the window of Tiffany’s store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, cemented her status as a true media icon. Among the jewelry Hepburn wore in the promotional images of the film, the Tiffany Diamond stands out with one of the largest yellow diamonds in history, priceless.

If you crave a Tiffany & Co ring with a dazzling Fancy Yellow diamond, though perhaps a bit more modest than Audrey’s in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” we guarantee it will take your breath away. This exquisite piece will be available in the jewelry collection to be auctioned next April at Setdart.

Cartier has been a timeless symbol of luxury and elegance. Since its founding in 1847, it has been the benchmark for the elite, creating magnificent jewelry worthy of kings, queens and movie stars. Always faithful to its principle of fusing tradition and innovation, Cartier has evolved towards the creation of more playful pieces, moving away from the sumptuousness of the last century.

The LOVE collection is one of the most emblematic of the firm, born from the genius of designer Aldo Cipullo in 1969 with a rigid bracelet composed of two halves in the shape of a “C” that are joined with miniature screws. This simple and versatile design embodies the essence of love and unwavering commitment, inspired by medieval chastity belts, which required the intervention of another person to put it on or take it off. Cartier, a pioneer in using celebrities to endorse brands, gave the iconic bracelets to twenty-five influential couples, including Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti. Today, the “LOVE” continues to captivate hearts and continues to be a sales success for the firm, as it was half a century ago. It has been seen on the wrist of numerous celebrities, including Princess Diana, Meghan Markle, Jennifer Aniston and Kylie Jenner, among others.

If you long to wear one of Cartier’s most iconic pieces on your wrist, don’t miss the opportunity to bid for the spectacular LOVE bracelet in 18K white gold with brilliant-cut diamonds in our upcoming April auction.

At Setdart, we are proud to present at each auction an exquisite selection of the finest fine jewelry brands. If you share our passion for great brands, we invite you to participate in our Luxury Day event on April 8, where you will have the opportunity to bid on world-renowned jewelry, including pieces from Cartier, Bvlgari and Tiffany & Co.