Demeter Chiparus Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Apr 3rd 2007 at 6:30PM

The Art Deco statues of Demeter Chiparus have a beautiful feminine beauty. Chiparus, who lived from 1886 to 1947 celebrated women with elegant statuettes in bronze with ivory inlays and chryselephantine, a substance which combines gold and ivory with different metal alloys. The chorus line acts of Paris in the 1920s and the Ballets Russes inspired Chiparus. The piece shown here, Les Girls, was edited in three different variations, including a single figure, a three-figure group, and a five-figure group. This versionis the only sculpture by Chiparus to feature five figures on a single base. It is the most expensive piece (estimated to sell for $800,000 to $1,000,000) in a Sotheby's auction on April 17 in New York which will feature 12 pieces from Chiparus that were in a private collection. The lowest priced piece is the Etoile de Mer (Starfish) which is estimated to sell for $100,000 – $150,000 proving that while Chiparus is hardly a household name, his acrobats and dancers are prized among collectors.

Tags: art, art deco, auction, collection, demeter chiparus, DemeterChiparus, sculptures, statues

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Source

Subscribe to these comments

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

John Apr 3rd 2007 8:02PM

Well, anyone who bought Paul McCartney's "Wings' Greatest Hits" Album will have a some memories of a similar statuette. On the album cover, and also inside, was a photograph of a beautiful Chiparus, which I suppose, is owned by Sir Paul (unless Heather Mills) absconded with it. That's how I first learned of Chiparus back in the early 1980s.

Funny thing, when I graduated college in 1984 I saw a number of Chiparus at an antique store in New York(reproductions I now assume). I definitely wanted one and was willing to pay up to $500. I walked into the store and quickly walked out with my tail between my legs when the cheapest piece turned out to be $5,000.