R Lalique Cire Perdue Wasp Vase by Rene Lalique

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Posts Tagged ‘R Lalique and Rene Lalique News’

Rene Lalique Doors: World Record Price For Lalique at Auction! R. Lalique Sales Knock Down Doors And Records!

November 23rd, 2011

Rene Lalique Doors Moineaux Chambranle Crante - Molded Glass Birds and Foliage on Nickel Plate Steel Frames

The great R. Lalique Moineaux Chambranle Crante Doors from Villa Millbrook, the Jersey home of Lady Trent sold as Lot 131 on November 22nd at Sotheby’s in Paris at their sale Arts Décoratifs du XXe siècle & Design Contemporain. Against a pre-sale estimate of €400,000 – €600,00, the final hammer price was €1,750,000 which totaled €2,024,750 including buyers premium, or approximately $2,750,000 at today’s exchange rates. This great R Lalique result is a world record price for a single Rene Lalique work at auction!

Rene Lalique Doors Moineaux Chambranle Crante - Molded Lalique Glass Birds and Foliage on Nickel Plate Steel Frames Close-UpThe wonderful glass and nickel plated steel frame double doors were exhibited in 1929 both at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Décorateurs in Paris, and also at Breves Galleries the same year. They were then installed in the home of Lady Trent, the patron for the famous Lalique Glass Church of Jersey architectural commission which stands to this day as a monument to the great Lalique!

To find out more about Rene Lalique and his architectural creations, from the following link you can access all of the Rene Lalique Architectural content here at RLalique.com including past Lalique Architectural auction results as well as news and reference articles.

R Lalique on Exhibit: Lalique Museum Opening July 2nd – Rene Lalique In Alsace

June 26th, 2011

In only one week, on July 2nd, the Musée Lalique will open to the public in Wingen-sur-Moder as a National Museum of France to honor the French national treasure Rene Lalique. This is the third in a series of articles about the new museum based around an interview with Museum Director Veronique Brumm. Previous articles are accessible at Musée Lalique – 1, and Musée Lalique – 2.

In our first two articles, Veronique discussed her background and how she came to be the Director of the Musée Lalique. She also told us about the background of the Musée and described its operational and organizational structure. In this third article, we focus on subjects related to the imminent opening of the Musee Lalique!

Veronique Brumm Director of the Musee LaliqueHello Veronique. Can you tell us about the layout and structure of the museum space and grounds and how it relates to the focus and purpose of the museum? Will there be special or temporary exhibitions or just a big permanent one?

The Musée Lalique has been created on a former glassmaking site that operated in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It will therefore include a renovated section but a new building is also under construction to accommodate the permanent exhibition and the equipment rooms. The permanent exhibition space will extend over 900 m² while the temporary exhibition room has a surface area of 200 m².

We will show jewels, of course but the heart of the museum will be devoted to glass because the link of Lalique with Alsace is glass. We will show perfume bottles, tableware, and we will also show the great themes that inspired René Lalique, particularly the female body and flora and fauna (birds, fish, snakes, beetles, bats). These motifs adorn vases, bowls, clocks, radiator caps and glassware for the table.

His creative genius, his industrial talent and, of course, his imagination, are all brought to the fore here. The creations of his successors, Marc and Marie-Claude Lalique, and from today’s design studio, are also on display. Finally, a special tribute is paid to the men and women who perpetuate glass-making skills at Wingen-sur-Moder today. The museum presentation aims to combine pleasure, discovery and learning. The museum is designed not just to showcase art objects, but also to teach. The pictures and audiovisual and multimedia documents that energize the sequence are also designed to help visitors relate to the artistic, cultural, social and technical context in which the works were created. It is hoped that they will arouse curiosity and open up new vistas.

Lalique Museum Architects ConceptNaturally, the Musée Lalique has all the facilities one would expect to find in a museum created at the dawn of the twenty-first century. In addition to spaces for permanent and temporary exhibitions and storerooms, We have planned a café and a shop where visitors will be able not only to buy postcards, books and other related products, but also items of Lalique crystal. We also have an 85-seat auditorium where we will show a film on the history of René Lalique or his expertise, as well as specific programs in line with temporary exhibitions. This auditorium will also enable us to organize cycles of conferences and symposia. In addition, we have the advantage of three rooms to host educational workshops. A broad range of activities will be offered for children.

I would also like to talk about the gardens. The museum is set in quite remarkable landscaped grounds and we have undertaken significant work with the landscape designers to ensure that the choice of species offers a reminder of the natural world that so inspired René Lalique. Two gardens have been laid out, one with a pronounced floral character, the other one more wooded. They contain a selection of plants that will help visitors see the connection between Lalique’s art and nature, which he so loved to observe. We also offer an explanatory trail that will enable visitors to understand that it is located on a former glassmaking site and link in with the local glassmaking tradition.

Will visitors be able to take a factory tour of the modern Lalique company factory to see crystal being made?

The factory is unfortunately not open to visitors.

How will the museum acquire objects in the future to add to its collection?

The Musée Lalique project is very particular in that it was born of the desire to create a museum and not a collection. This means that, in 2002, there were already plans for the museum, but no works. Bit by bit, an acquisition policy has been developed. We are trying to continue to develop our collection with the support of the Département du Bas-Rhin, Région Alsace and the State as sponsors. Our acquisition policy is based on the museum’s scientific and cultural aspirations but also depends on market opportunities. It’s important to stress that, prior to any acquisition, we undertake a price study – based on the results of sales in past years.

Invitation To the VIP Inaugural Opening of the Musee Lalique

In our first article, you said that the Musée owns around 400 pieces and will show around 650 for the opening exhibition. Can you provide a few more details?

We bought our first item in 2002! And among the last pieces we bought were the surtout Deux Cavaliers and a lustre Passiflore. In addition to pieces we own, we will have many loans both from private collections, the Lalique Company, and also loans from other museums; especially from the Musée des Arts décoratifs de Paris.

Will you have either porcelain or crystal items from Suzanne, Marc or Marie Claude on exhibit?

Yes, we want to display the work of Suzanne, Marc and Marie-Claude in its best light. We are also planning to organize an exhibition devoted specifically to Suzanne, an exhibition that will, of course, feature her work in the field of glass and porcelain, but which will also enable us to demonstrate her contribution to the fields of textiles, painting and the theatre.

Can you preview a highlight or two of special items in your opening exhibition?

I could mention several, but I’d prefer to put the accent on two cire perdue works: the decorative Dolphin motif created in 1912, on the one hand, and the entwined Cherubs that adorn Mrs. Paquin’s dining room, on the other. I’d also like to give a special mention to a work by Marc Lalique: a monumental chandelier – almost 3 meters high and 2 meters in diameter – exhibited at the Paris Museum of Decorative Arts in 1951, which will adorn the entrance hall of our museum.

Will the museum lend its own items to exhibitions around the world in the future?

For the time being, our collections are not sufficiently large in number to allow us to part with our items, but we hope to be able to do so in the not too distant future.

Wingen-sur-Moder Located on Map of FranceHow far a drive is the museum from Paris and what is the best way for a visitor to get to the museum if they are visiting from the UK, from France, or from overseas?

By car, Wingen-sur-Moder is around 4 hours from Paris. The high speed train is also an excellent way to get to Alsace – stations in Strasbourg, Saverne and Saarbrücken (D). Wingen-sur-Moder is situated on the Strasbourg-Sarreguemines-Saarbrücken railway line. There are also several airports nearby: Strasbourg, Saarbrücken, Zweibrucken and Baden-Baden.

What will be the cost of admission?

6 € for adults, 5 for group (more than 15 persons), 3 € for children.

What will be the days of the week and hours the Musée will be open?

April-September everyday from 10 am to 7 pm; from October to March from Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm; closed in January.

How much time should a visitor plan to spend on the site?

The tour of the museum itself should take around one and a half to two hours. But thanks to the full service that we offer – gardens, café, etc. – we hope that the visitor will spend more time with us. We are also working with other sites in the area to offer collective tickets, passports, etc. to encourage the visitor to explore and spend time in our beautiful region.

If someone wanted to make a donation of any item to the museum, whom would they contact?

We are quite happy to accept loans, deposits and donations. I can be reached by e-mail: veronique.brumm@musee-lalique.com, telephone: 00 33 3 88 89 08 14 or by post: Musée Lalique – 29, rue de Zittersheim – 67290 Wingen-sur-Moder – France.

Musee Lalique Under ConstructionIs there any information not covered by our questions that you would like to convey?

We hope to reach lovers and collectors of Lalique works through comprehensive scientific work, but we also hope to bring them to the largest possible audience. To do so, we offer various levels of lectures and diverse mediation tools. Although we will pay particular attention to the quality of the display cabinets and the lighting, we will also be using modern museum techniques: video guide, multimedia, large format photography etc.

In addition, we want to welcome an international audience: our texts will therefore be not only in French, but also in German and English. Likewise for the video guide.

As far as content is concerned, I also find it important to stress that we will be very keen to situate Lalique’s work in its context – Art Nouveau, Art Deco Movement etc. Manufacturing techniques also will be discussed and homage will be paid to the men and women who still today, perpetuate the know-how in Wingen-sur-Moder.

Veronique, we appreciate your time in answering our questions and sharing your expertise with our readers, and we wish you well in this great endeavor. Hopefully you will get some sleep in the week leading up to the opening.

We will talk again with Veronique just after the Musée opens to the public and we’ll plan to follow-up with a final Musée Grand Opening article, discussing the opening and possibly additional travel and area details for visitors.

* Editor’s Note: On July 1st, the day before the official opening to the public, there is inaugural opening for invited guests. We managed to wrangle one of those invitations from a serious mucky-muck ** VIP on the down-low ***, so that we could photograph it and our readers could see one for themselves. That is the invitation pictured above.

** The urban dictionary defines mucky-muck as: A pompous person of importance! Of course, it can be real or imagined self-importance. Which of those fits the person we got the invite from? Opinions vary.

*** down-low is an American slang describing an activity that is kept discreet. Often shortened to “DL”.

Photo Credits:
Veronique Brumm: David Desaleux
Architect’s Concept: Wilmotte- Artefactory
Invitation to VIP Opening: Downlow
Map of France: Wikipedia – Eric Gaba
Musee Construction: David Desaleux

Lalique Museum: Rene Lalique To Be Honored by France With The New Musee Lalique

June 21st, 2011

The Country of France is set to honor the Great Lalique with the opening of the new Musée Lalique to the public on July 2nd. This is the second in a series of articles about the new Lalique Museum structured around a long running interview with the Director of the new Museum, Veronique Brumm. Lalique Museum Opening will take you to the first article in this series! As you will learn below, the new Musée Lalique is not just a Lalique Museum in France. It is a Lalique Museum of France.

Lalique Museum Under ConstructionIn our first article, we presented some photos of the site that would become the new Musée Lalique, and the architect’s concept of what the final project would look like. We accompany this article with photos of the Musée in progress as it moves from that original site toward the architectural plan. This is basically our “nuts and bolts” article, where we show the nuts and bolts of the construction of the Museum, and where we talk with Veronique about the nuts and bolts of the organization that created the Museum.

We left off the introduction to the interview in our first article with Veronique explaining that she is an historian by training, with a specialty in glassmaking in the very region where Rene Lalique established his glass factory after World War 1.

Veronique, can you tell us more about your background?

Lalique Museum Building Site ConstructionIn my training, I was not only interested in the history of glassmaking in Wingen-sur-Moder, where the Lalique factory is still operating today, but also in that of Saint-Louis whose reputation speaks for itself; Meisenthal, known for having worked for Emile Gallé; and Goetzenbruck, which specialised in watch glasses and later in optical glass.

I then did a masters on the professions of cultural development and tourism. In this context, I undertook an internship at the Glass Centre at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, an internship that confirmed my interest in glass.

I complemented this professional masters with a masters oriented towards research. It covered the development of the glass and crystal making heritage in Lorraine. I then chose to do a doctorate in information and communication sciences focusing on museology and cultural mediation. The subject of my thesis was the development of the heritage of the glass and crystal making industry in Europe. In this context, I looked into what makes us come to consider an industry, in this instance glass and crystal making, as a form of heritage and the way this manifests itself.

Lalique Museum Building Site Inside ConstructionAfter completing my studies, I had the opportunity to work with the Conseil Général du Bas-Rhin. In the context of this mission, I was the curator of a Lalique exhibition held during the summer of 2006 at the Château de Lichtenberg, a few kilometres from Wingen-sur-Moder. I then had the good luck to cultivate an interest in the scientific aspects of the museum project. Gradually, my tasks have become more diversified.

Veronique, what have been your duties in conjunction with the Musee up until this time (June 2011)?

As project leader, my tasks are particularly varied. I continue to work on the scientific aspects: putting the collection together, research on René, Suzanne, Marc and Marie-Claude Lalique, on techniques, definition of the museum tour, writing the texts for the museum and more.

In addition, I’m very involved with the building site and work closely with the architects in order that the museum makes it possible not only to display Lalique’s works in the best light possible, but is also functional.

Lalique Museum Building Site In ProgressI’m also busy with the administrative and financial aspects of the project. This means, for example, that I prepare and monitor all decisions taken by the Board of Directors, that I prepare the budget, handle requests for subsidies, and other similar matters.

The question of partnerships is also one of my major concerns, whether these are partnerships with the project’s backers, the Lalique Company, the lenders, etc.

How is the museum structured for operations? Do you report to a board of directors? Do you have a staff? Are there public officials involved? Is it a non-profit organization? How is the museum funded?

Lalique Museum Building Site With CraneThe Musée Lalique is a public project, supported by the local authorities: Région Alsace, Département du Bas-Rhin, Communauté de Communes du Pays de La Petite Pierre and Commune de Wingen-sur-Moder.

These authorities have joined forces to create the Syndicat Mixte du Musée Lalique. Today, this is the client for the project and, in the future, it will be responsible for its management.

These authorities handle funding for the project of 11.3 million euros with support from the State and from Europe. Therefore, although we have an excellent relationship with the Lalique Company, we are not a company museum.

Our organisation is non-profit making. The authorities mentioned previously have even put their heads together to ascertain on which cost allocation base it would fund a possible operating shortfall.

Lalique Museum Building Courtyard During ConstructionsFor the administrative organisation of the Syndicat Mixte, I should say that it’s managed by a Board of Directors composed of eleven members representing the four financial backers. It is chaired by a President, Mr Gaston Dann, and two Vice-Presidents. It is to them who I report on my work.

Regarding the team, there are four of us at the present time (February 2010): two part-time staff in the secretariat, a conservation assistant and a person in charge of tourist promotion and communication.

Is the Musée Lalique a National Museum sanctioned by the French government? And if so, what benefits does the National Museum status provide?

The Musée Lalique was awarded the “Musée de France” appellation (name or title) in 2007. Therefore, it isn’t a National Museum administered directly by the State, but the “Musée de France” label testifies to the quality of the project, both from the point of view of its collections and the conditions of preventive conservation and security. In France, this label is the sine qua non for securing loans or deposits from other museums.

The “Musée de France” appellation also enables us to take advantage of financial support from the Fonds Régional d’Acquisition pour les Musées, in other words State subsidies for acquisitions.

Lalique Museum Building Site From AboveVeronique, so that our readers will understand the importance of the “Musée de France” designation, can you tell us the names of some of the other Musées de France?

Among the other museums with the “Musée de France” label, we should mention the Louvre, the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Musée d’Orsay and the Quai Branly museum in Paris.

An interviewer’s note that it was the Museum of Decorative Arts which purchased several works directly from Rene Lalique himself in the early 1900’s; its curators having the foresight to recognize the great treasure of France even 100 years ago. And it is with Veronique’s mention of the lofty company of the world class museums in which the Musée Lalique finds itself, that we depart this interview for now, until the publication of the next article in this series (article 3) which will appear shortly.

Photo Credits:
Snow Photo: Musée Lalique
Scaffold Photo: Communauté de Communes du Pays de La Petite Pierre
Inside Photo: Musée Lalique
Crane Photo 1: Stadler
Crane Photo 2: Musée Lalique
Courtyard Photo: Musée Lalique
Overhead View Photo: Stadler

Musee Lalique: The Lalique Museum Will Open July 2nd As A Museum of France For The Great Rene Lalique

June 12th, 2011

Lalique Museum Becomes A Reality: A Musée de France dedicated to Rene Lalique to Open July 2nd!

Lalique Museum Site in 2003 Before ConstructionIt was over two years ago that we reported the news on these pages that the long-awaited ground breaking ceremony for the new Musée Lalique had taken place on November 8th, 2008. How long-awaited? Here is a photo* from 2003 of the site which 8 years later is the location for the new Lalique Museum.

We put forth our view in that early 2009 article that an official museum in France dedicated to Rene Lalique would be great news for all R Lalique and Rene Lalique Enthusiasts and Collectors.

Well readers, good news is upon us. For after nearly 2 and 1/2 years of construction, and many more years of planning even before that time, the new Musée Lalique will open its doors to the public on July 2nd, 2011 in the small town of Wingen Sur Moder in the historic glassmaking region of Alsace.

Lalique Museum Site in 2007 Before ConstructionWingen Sur Moder, located in the northeastern part of France near the border with Germany, is also the home of the great Lalique glassmaking factory opened by Rene Lalique in 1921. This factory survived German occupation in World War II, and it still operates today making leaded crystal for the modern Cristal Lalique Company, a company officially called Lalique SA. Just above is a 2007 photo of the future site, this time with a building that has a roof :).**

And during these last couple of years while construction progressed, many supporters, contributors and readers of this website have jumped-in to assist the Musée in various ways as it built its collection, its research library, and its opening exhibition inventory. You can read about a few of the R.Lalique enthusiasts who worked with the Musée on the About Us page at RLalique.com.

Following is a pre-construction design concept for the Musée on the site shown in the two preceding photos. The concept appears to be true to the architecture and history of the area, and to the beauty and rural nature of the natural surroundings. ***

Lalique Museum Site Design Concept

We will publish more information about the Musée Lalique between now and the early part of July. And we thought it would be a good idea in conjunction with this announcement to give you a short introduction to an interview which will form the basis for those upcoming articles.

It was over a year and a half ago, in the cold of winter (not really too cold at World Headquarters, but cold in a lot of other places according to news reports :), that we began interviewing Veronique Brumm, the Project Leader who began working on the Musée Lalique many years ago.

Veronique Brumm - Lalique Museum DirectorVeronique’s involvement with almost all facets of the creation of the Musée over an extended time period made her the best choice for us to bring detailed, informative, and up-to-date information and news to you concerning the Musée now that the opening is imminent. Note that Veronique answered our most recently submitted questions just two weeks ago!

Keep in mind as we go forward the next several weeks that the interview has been slightly edited for all the typical reasons including the flow of the articles, combining answers, and accounting for the different times the questions were asked. However, no facts have been altered. Here is the short intro:

Veronique, what is your official title now (2010) and what will it be when the Musée opens?

Project Leader is my official title, and when the Musée opens, my title and responsibility will be Director.

How long have you been working on the Musée Lalique project?

I’ve been working on the Musée Lalique project since 2004.

Lalique Museum Car Mascot DisplayCan you tell us about your professional background and how you came to your current role with the museum?

A historian by training, I have focused my research on the history of glassmaking in the Northern Vosges, the region where René Lalique decided to build the Verrerie d’Alsace just after the First World War.

Veronique, can you talk a little about the pieces owned by the Musée and also the items in the opening exhibition?

We now own more or less 400 pieces, and for the opening, we will show more or less 650 items.

The second article in this series will appear in coming days.

* Photo Credit: Communauté de Communes du Pays de La Petite Pierre
** Photo Credit: Communauté de Communes du Pays de La Petite Pierre
*** Photo Credit: Wilmotte – Artefactory
**** Photo of Veronique Brumm, Musée Lalique Director
***** Photo Credit of Car Mascot Display: David Desaleux

Lalique Art History And Design – The Flora and Fauna of Rene Lalique – A Scholarly Lecture In New York City

December 8th, 2009

Rene Lalique made extensive use of Flora and Fauna in his famous Lalique Jewelry, and in the majority of his Lalique Glass designs. Nicholas Dawes, noted Rene Lalique personality, Antiques Roadshow Appraiser, and author of the seminal 1986 work “Lalique Glass“, is giving a lecture today in New York City analyzing the historical use of Flora and Fauna as art forms by Rene Lalique.

Rene Lalique Flora and Fauna Lecturer Nicholas DawesMr. Dawes is in New York this week in his role as a consignment director for Heritage Auctions where he is overseeing this year’s largest Rene Lalique Auction on Thursday December 10th. We have previously written about this exciting Lalique Auction and have also included details in the Rene Lalique Auctions Worldwide Section here at RLalique.com!

This scholarly and informative lecture will be in Manhattan at 104 East 25th just off Park Avenue on the 3rd Floor at 4:00 PM. Readers of RLalique.com that will be in New York City today are invited to attend. There is no charge, and there will be a cocktail reception following the 1 hour lecture where attendees will also be able to view the many R Lalique items in Thursday’s auction. If you tell Mr Dawes you read about the lecture here at RLalique.com, he’ll buy you a drink at the reception! But even if you don’t tell him you saw it here, cocktails are free 🙂 and you will get a chance to talk to Nick and other Rene Lalique enthusiasts and collectors in attendance.

A wonderful opportunity to learn more about the talent and creativity of the great Rene Lalique.

Rene Lalique Car Mascots: The Elegant Set And R Lalique At The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

August 12th, 2009

Lalique trophy is presented to the “Best In Show” at the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach!

For at least 10 years, the Best in Show award at the amazing Concours d’Elegance has been a Lalique Trophy, presented by the Elegant Set, a quiet Carmel, California store associated with noted Lalique personality Nicholas Dawes. The actual trophy is a Lalique Crystal “Trophee” figure mounted on a custom base. Crystal Lalique Paperweights Chrysis and Tete De Aigle are also presented as class prizes. Of course, with the Rene Lalique Hood Ornaments gracing the front ends of so many of the finest motor cars of yesteryear in attendance, it’s only fitting that Lalique is in the forefront when awards are presented.

The Elegant Set has perhaps the largest inventory of Rene Lalique items in stock and on display of any gallery in the United States. It has been established for 25 years, and is a center of R Lalique activity during the Concours. A quick review of their current inventory reveals 24 different R Lalique Car Mascot models including for example a rare R Lalique Pintade Hood Ornament, and a host of other items ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands.

The day before the Concours, on Saturday the 15th, the Elegant Set hosts an R Lalique event, the most important feature of which is champagne and hors d’oeuvres from noon on! But it’s also a chance to see a good amount of R Lalique items in one place, and to meet and talk to Nick Dawes, who fields questions from all comers about R Lalique for most of the day Saturday, in between sips of champagne of course!

The Elegant Set is a private enterprise, but their involvement with the Concours and the exposure they provide for the works of the great Rene Lalique during this important motoring event spreads benefits far beyond Carmel that touch many R Lalique collectors worldwide. And The Elegant Set is so discreet they don’t even have a real address! Heck, they’re so discreet we don’t even have photos to go along with this post! So if this is the first you’ve heard of them, now you know why! But if you want to stop by, they are located at the corner of 7th and San Carlos in Carmel. And you can reach the Elegant Set’s Ken Derrick, also known in certain circles as “The Lalique Trophy Presenter”, at 800 497 4994 for further information.

If you call, the big question you might ask Ken our behalf is this: Why are they waiting until noon to start the champagne flowing?

And here is a link to our previous post concerning other R Lalique Car Mascot related events surrounding the Concours d’Elegance.

Lalique North America Announces The Opening of a Lalique – Haviland New York Store

July 26th, 2009

Lalique North America announced the opening this Fall of a joint Lalique – Haviland Store in New York, which will replace the previously closed Lalique Boutique in the big city.

Lalique Store on Madison AvenueThis announcement, follows through with the previously released strategy to join Lalique and Haviland operations in North America, and mirrors the Lalique – Havilland London flagship store opening earlier this year.

As discussed previously on these pages, Lalique and Haviland have joined operations in the US for the purpose of gaining operational efficiencies and cost savings, as new Lalique Cristal owners Art & Fragrance, and FSG implement their strategic plan to strengthen the brands of both subsidiary companies, which will remain separate entities notwithstanding the operational joining.

Lalique-Haviland Store LondonMaz Zouhairi, CEO of Lalique – North America and now CEO of Haviland’s North American operations was quoted as follows: “The initiatives surrounding this partnership solidify a stronger presence for both Lalique and Haviland as we position both brands for future growth.”

It’s obvious that Art & Fragrance and FSG are working hard in an innovative fashion during these difficult times, to solidify and enhance their joint operations. We wish them well.

Rene Lalique Auction in New York: Major R Lalique Auction Is On: R Lalique Sale In December!

June 27th, 2009

Rene Lalique Auctions: Lalique Auction Sale comes to New York in Mid December!

Heritage BuildingRLalique.com has learned that Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas Texas, the third largest auction house in the world by sales volume, will hold an auction in New York City on or about December 16th, 2009 devoted to the works of the great Rene Lalique! This will likely be the largest of any of the Lalique Auctions held anywhere in the world in 2009. We rate this an exciting development and one which should focus a good deal of attention on the entire R Lalique collecting field. It also represents another great vote of confidence by one of the world’s top auction houses in the depth and stability of the market for R Lalique and the potential for success in the R Lalique Auction field.

Heritage Auction Galleries, headquartered in the building shown above, has been rapidly expanding in recent years, and it’s rumored that they plan to open offices in New York and Los Angeles in the near future. The move into R Lalique Auctions makes even more sense in view of their recent announcement of the hiring of the well known Nicholas Dawes as a Consignment Director. Rumor has it that Mr. Dawes used all of his considerable skills as an author to write the bio portion of the announcement himself! Heritage has something like 450,000 registered bidders worldwide, and reported sales in the last 12 months of over 700 Million Dollars. They bring a lot of expertise to this new Lalique Auction endeavor, including now the expertise of Nick Dawes.

Nick DawesMr. Dawes is the author of the excellent 1986 standard reference work Lalique Glass, which has been out of print for quite some time (20 years?), but which is available here in the Rene Lalique Library at RLalique.com, along with nearly 1000 other R Lalique books and reference items. The only real question we have about this great news is this: Does the accompanying Heritage PR photo look like the same Nick Dawes pictured in his book?

RLalique.com will bring you more information as it develops!

Lalique and Haviland Join Their U.S. Operations

June 4th, 2009

Lalique and Haviland announced that they will join their U.S. operations, naming Lalique North America CEO Max Zouhairi as CEO of Haviland’s U.S. operations as well. The new arrangement will effectively bring nearly all operations in the U.S. of Lalique and Haviland together, while maintaining separate corporate identities. Joint stores, marketing, warehouses, shipping systems and general operations seem to signal a merger in virtually every way except the corporate paperwork. These developments were foreshadowed by the joint Lalique – Haviland store opening in London and related events reported on these pages in April of this year.

These are difficult times for many luxury goods suppliers and retailers, and Art & Fragrance, the recent purchaser and majority owner of Cristal Lalique, has not gone untouched by the worldwide economic difficulties, having just reported in May a loss for 2008 of 11 million CHF or about 10.3 million US Dollars. This Lalique – Haviland operational merger in the U.S. is designed to cut joint operating costs and at the same time maximize the marketing advantage of two of the greatest names in decorative arts and consumer products. 

Along these same lines, just to let you know they aren’t letting the grass grow under their feet on this, they are having a joint Lalique Haviland Warehouse Sale in New Jersey on June 11th, 12th, 13th and 15th!

Rene Lalique Exhibition: A Rene Lalique Retrospective Exhibit of R.Lalique Works Opens in Tokyo in June

April 20th, 2009

Rene Lalique Hat Pin Circa 1897 from the Musee D'OrsayRene Lalique: A Retrospective Exhibition of the works of Lalique Opens in Tokyo on June 24th: The National Art Center in Tokyo Japan is the first of two stops for a great exhibition of the R.Lalique works of Rene Lalique. The exhibition features rare Lalique glass items including important Cire Perdues, unique Lalique jewelry, and other works contributed by many Japanese and international museums including the Kitazawa Museum of Art, the Izu Glass and Craft Museum, the Omura Art Museum, Kobe Fashion Museum, the Toyota Automobile Museum, the Shonan Enoshima Perfume Bottle Museum, the Narita Museum, the Gulbenkian (see pictured Cire Perdue), the Musee D’Orsay (see pictured hat pin) and others. The exhibition will be at the National Art Center in Tokyo thru September 7th, when it will move to the MOA Museum of Art in Japan from September 15th to November 23rd. We will bring you more news and details as they become available.

Rene Lalique Cire Perdue Vase from the Gulbenkien Museum in Portugal Note that many of the museums that will contribute to this great Lalique Exhibition, have wonderful museum books or catalogues containing their collections of Rene Lalique works. A good number of these out of print books and catalogues cannot be found anywhere in the world except in the R Lalique Exhibition Books and Catalogues Section of the R Lalique Library here at RLalique.com. We expect that we will be adding the Rene Lalique catalogue book of this great Lalique Exhibition to our extensive inventory when it’s available.

Lalique and Haviland Come Full Circle in London Flagship Lalique Crystal Store

April 14th, 2009

Cristal Lalique and Haviland Storefront in LondonLalique and Haviland Join Forces and Open A Joint Flagship Store in London: A renewal of old ties between the family name of Rene Lalique and the family name of David Haviland was cemented in London recently, with the opening of the new Lalique Haviland joint flagship store on Conduit Street. This store name recalls ties between these two great families that go back to 1916.

Here is a brief history: Haviland was started in 1842 by David Haviland. He was a member of a New York family that imported and sold china. In the early 1840’s he traveled to Limoges France where he founded the great Haviland manufacture. His two sons, Charles and Theodore were active in the business, Theodore in New York dealing with marketing matters, and Charles, the oldest of the two sons in France at the factory in Limoges. After David Haviland died in 1879, Theodore moved to Limoges to participate more directly in the management of company affairs. For whatever reasons, by 1891 the two brothers had irreconcilable differences and joint control of the Haviland Company was dissolved, with each brother going it his own way. Charles operated under the old family company name of Haviland et Cie, and Theodore under the name Theodore Haviland Limoges. The two brothers competed not just with other companies, but against each other. The last decade of the 19th century also saw the rise of the great Rene Lalique, who’s reputation as a jeweler and designer in Paris had spread worldwide. Lalique’s primary focus in the last decade of the 1800’s was jewelry and unique objects. It was the famous glassmaker Emile Galle who recognized Rene Lalique as the “the inventor of modern jewelry”.

Suzanne Lalique PortraitIn 1892, Lalique had a daughter by his second wife, whom they named Suzanne. Suzanne became an accomplished designer and painter in her own right, without any formal art training. Growing up as close to the great Lalique as one can get, was all the training required. Her vase designs cover two pages in the R Lalique Catalogue Raisonne, and her paintings and decorative arts are now spread around the world. At least two Rene Lalique production vases were designed by Suzanne Lalique; the vases Sophora and Penthievre. She also created great porcelain designs for Haviland during the last half of the 1920’s and into the early 1930’s, and she is credited with having painted in 1931 the only recorded portrait of Rene Lalique created late in his life. And of esoteric interest to both historians and stemware collectors, is the SH monogram which graces the stemware set Monogramme in the Catalogue Raisonne. These are the stems that start at #5042 on Page 831 of the 2004 edition. These stems were sold in minimum orders of 100 pieces. But for the big order, Lalique et Cie would put your own monogram on each stem. That’s probably how they figured out the name for this design! Apparently, Suzanne Haviland was an early customer :).

Paul Haviland by RenoirAs things would have it, in 1916 Suzanne met the photographer Paul Haviland, the son of Charles Haviland, when Paul was slightly older than shown here in an 1884 portrait at age 4 by noted painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Paul was an accomplished photographer, and among his other claims to fame, he would be given photo credit for the pictures in the 1932 R.Lalique Catalogue, a fact omitted from the 1981 Dover reprint! Paul was born in Paris, but graduated from Harvard and spent much of his early life in the United States. Having been called back to France to help with the management of the company in 1916, that same year he met and by 1917 would marry Suzanne Lalique. Long story short, Charles died in 1921. Theodore died two years earlier in 1919. The Haviland et Cie family businesses of Charles had lots of problems and became a full employment company for lawyers! Haviland et Cie eventually slipped out of family ownership and was liquidated in 1931, but the Theodore branch of the family continued on with their company under the leadership of Theodore’s oldest son William, who had joined the company in 1903 and who took control upon the death of his father. The Haviland name and company was restored to unity and total family ownership in 1941 under William Haviland, when he and other relatives purchased all the names, designs, and rights of the previously liquidated Haviland et Cie. One interesting point is that from 1942 to 1957, Haviland was produced in Pennsylvania, production having been started up there by William in the chaos that was World War II.

Fast forwarding a bit, control of Haviland would find its way to the current owners Financiere Saint-Germain (FSG). Here is a link to an informative Haviland website. Why do we care about all this? Well, that’s the start of another (much shorter) story.

Silvio DenzrIn February of 2008, the Lalique Cristal Company was acquired by the Swiss company Art & Fragrance (ARTN). The price was €44,000,000 Euros, which today would be about $58,500,000 US. This was somewhat of a marriage of equals, as Lalique’s sales of around €67,000,000 Euros for 2007 were higher than the sales of its acquirer. Art & Fragrance is headquartered near Zurich, and its shares are listed on the BX Berne eXchange under the symboi ARTN. It appears that the vast majority of ARTN shares are controlled by Silvio Denz, the Chairman of ARTN, who is shown here in a photo from the company website. Mr. Denz is also one of the driving forces behind the new Lalique Museum, the Musee Lalique in France which we recently wrote about. In September of 2008, Art & Fragrance sold just under 1/2 of Lalique to FSG, which as we mentioned, is the owner of among other things, Haviland, at a price of 20.5 million Euros. This is how we have reached the point of the accompanying photo of the new London Flagship Store. This writer thinks Paul and Suzanne Haviland would be smiling if they could see it! And now you know……… ( think Paul Harvey). 🙂

A final note: Paul Haviland died in 1950, and Suzanne Lalique Haviland, having lived to the age of 97, died in 1989. For more information on Rene Lalique and his family, see our Rene Lalique Biography.

Lalique Exhibition Essay Garners Prestigious Smith Decorative Arts Award: Great Rene Lalique Publicity

April 9th, 2009

Rene Lalique Poppy Necklace Circa 1900

Lalique, Faberge and Tiffany Exhibition Catalog Essay by Stephen Harrison is awarded the 2008 Smith Award for the most distinguished article in decorative arts in 2008: Stephen Harrison, curator of the Lalique, Faberge, and Tiffany Exhibition Artistic Luxury, was one of two recipients for the year 2008 to receive the Smith Award for most distinguished decorative arts articles. The essay, which appeared in the catalogue of the exhbition, was entitled: Artistic Luxury in the Belle Époque. Stephen Harrison is the Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and was the organizer and driving force behind this great exhibition, which is now at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco thru May 31st! See our previous post on this Great Exhibit of Lalique (and some other stuff :). The Smith Award, honors the career of Doctor Robert Smith, who was a professor and noted art historian at the University of Pennsylvania, a place not unfamiliar to this writer, though there was not much art talk at the Wharton School :). Industry awards, such as the Smith Award, serve to focus the trade, collectors, museums, and the media on particular segments of the decorative arts field. Having one such award go to a Lalique related essay, is a wonderful thing for publicizing the works of the great Rene Lalique. By the way, it’s not hard to imagine how Mr. Harrison was inspired, looking at the unbelievable glass, enamel and gold poppy pendant necklace shown here, which was lent to the exhibition by the Toledo Museum of Art. For more information about the award and the Decorative Arts Society, you can visit their website.

Rene Lalique Exhibition Opens at Montgomery Gallery in San Francisco Featuring 20 Original Rene Lalique Drawings!

February 26th, 2009

Rene Lalique Drawing of a Hair Comb with Beetles and PearlsThe Luxury of Rene Lalique: Unique Drawings and Objects: 1900-1930, is the title of a wonderful selling exhibition of the works of the great Rene Lalique being held at San Francisco’s world renowned Montgomery Gallery to coincide with the major exhibition of the works of Lalique, Faberge and Tiffany at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor Museum (see previous post for details). The exhibition represents the largest assemblage of original Rene Lalique drawings ever shown together in the United States. In addition, there are wonderful glass objects including an Amber Suzanne Statue, and both Suzanne and Thais Statues in opalescent glass. The Montgomery Gallery has a great international reputation and is an extremely high quality place to showcase Lalique’s works. Additional information is available by calling the gallery at 415-788-8300. The exhibition is now open and runs through March 28th. It adds yet another reason to visit San Francisco this Spring (so says the Oracle)!

Lalique Exhibition Moves to San Francisco’s Legion of Honor Museum

February 21st, 2009

Rene Lalique Serpent Brooch at San Francisco ExhibitionLalique Exhibition in San Francisco: The fabulous Exhibition “Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique”, which was at the Cleveland Museum of Art for many months, opened on February 7th at the San Francisco’s Legion of Honor Museum. The Exhibition will run thru May 31st, and we highly recommend that every Rene Lalique collector that didn’t see the Exhibition in Cleveland make a visit if possible. There are many unique R Lalique objects on display. You don’t get to handle them, but there are Rene Lalique vases, jewelry and other one-of-kind items on exhibit that you may never have a chance to view again. Here is a link to our previous post from the middle of last year announcing this wonderful Exhibition of Lalique!

Visiting the Legion of Honor
The Legion of Honor displays a collection of over 4,000 years of ancient and European art and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts in a Beaux-Arts style building overlooking Lincoln Park and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Address: Lincoln Park, 34th Avenue and Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94121, 415-750-3600
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 9:30 am–5:15 pm; closed on Monday
Admission: $20 – Adults $17 – Seniors
$16 – Youths 13–17 and Students with college I.D.
Members and children 12 and under are free.
($10 admission for permanent collection only)
General admission is free the first Tuesday of every month ($10 surcharge for Artistic Luxury still applies). Information: legionofhonor.org

Musee Lalique Cornerstone Ceremony in Wingen-sur-Moder France: A New Lalique Museum!

February 17th, 2009

Lalique Museum Cornerstone

Lalique Museum Groundbreaking Ceremony: On November 8th, 2008, the unveiling of the cornerstone for the new Musee Lalique occurred at Wingen-su-Moder in the north of Alsace near the site of one of the glass factories of the great Rene Lalique. Partners in the project, which is expected to open in 2010 include the town of Wingen-sur-Moder, the Lalique Crystal Company, the Department of Bas-Rhin, and the Alsace Region. The museum will have official Museum status with the French government. This status will enable the Lalique Museum to accept deposits or loans of works from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Musée d’Orsay. The Museum will also have the right of preemption to acquire works in France, and it will be eligible for funding of acquisitions through a government fund for acquisitions by official Museums. This tribute to Rene Lalique, and what in effect will be a French National repository for his works for public display, has been a long time coming, and will provide a focal point not just in France, but also worldwide, for honoring the man who was not just the father of modern jewelry, but was also so important to the artistic and industrial development, implementation and adoption of decorative design in the first half of the 20th century with his fabulous glass creations. The museum will feature not just an exhibition hall, but also a garden and cafeteria, as well as an auditorium, a gift shop, and a teaching center. There will also be a place in the Museum for the works of Marc Lalique, as well space for temporary exhibitions. The Museum will apparently receive a good size group of around 200 items and 2000 original Rene Lalique drawings from the Lalique Crystal Company for exhibit, as well as items from the personal collection of Silvio Denz, the head of the Perfume and Fragrance Company, which owns just over 50% of the Lalique Crystal Company.

Readers, this is great news for R Lalique and Rene Lalique enthusiasts and collectors! A world class museum dedicated to Rene Lalique! All of the people, agencies, and companies involved in the Lalique Museum project are owed a debt of gratitude by R Lalique collectors worldwide. We will keep you updated as the project progresses and additional news becomes available.

The Lalique Museum:
Architects: Wilmotte, Paris, France
Scenographer: dUCKS scéno (photo credit)

 
 

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