Hundreds of Art Deco pieces go under hammer at Paris auction

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Hundreds of Art Deco pieces go under hammer at Paris auction

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Over 400 Art Deco furniture pieces will be auctioned at Paris' Palais de Tokyo late March.

23 March,2011 09:51 pm

Over 400 Art Deco furniture pieces, totalling an estimated 35 to 50 million euros, were presented on Wednesday in anticipation of an auction will which take place at Paris Palais de Tokyo late March.The pieces, all part of the Chateau de Gourdon collection, range from designer chairs and tables to elaborate panelling, and will be on offer from Tuesday to Thursday (March 29 - 31). Art Deco is often seen as a turning point in style and home design, with an emphasis on simplicity and modernism, and the establishment of new materials, such as glass and aluminium.International head for 20th century decorative art and design at Christies, Philippe Garner, told Reuters the auction would showcase Art Decos ability to stay current despite the tests of time. Among the pieces in the auction will be a vintage Le Corbusier chair, a futuristic locomotive sculpture by the Martel brothers, as well as a desk made for French prime minister André Tardieu by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann.Some of the collections pieces, such as Jean Dunands chess table and matching chairs, are expected to fetch between three and five million euros. Garner said the pieces would be perfect for a collector hoping to compliment an art collection.Since the creation of the movement in the 1920s, Art Deco has inspired the creation of buildings such as New Yorks iconic Chrysler Building but has also been used for its striking post neo-gothic qualities in films such as Blade Runner and Ghostbusters.