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Lot 54

A RARE AND COLLECTIBLE GOLD ‘PETITE TÊTE CARÉE’ PENDANT, BY ANDRÉ DERAIN (1880-1954)A rare 23K gold pendant, conceived circa 1965, stamped with the artist’s signature, incised ‘Exemplaire d’auteur 1/2’, with the Francois and Pierre Hugo reference numbered ‘1702’ and ‘2915’, stamped with Francois Hugo’s hallmark, published by Ateliers Hugo in 2012, within its original wooden fitted case, length 7.9cm, width 5.9cmFor a comparable piece by Andre Derain, see see Hugo, P. and Siaud, C. (2001) Bijoux d’artistes. Artist’s Jewels, Hommage à Francois Hugo, p. 89Long-time friend of François Hugo, Parisian artist and sculptor André Derain (1880-1954) was one of the many creatives who set out to create jewellery pieces at the workshop in the South of France. Alongside Henri Matisse, Derain was founder of the Fauvist movement at the beginning of the 20th century. Derain was initially friends with Francois’ older brother Jean, but later developed an even closer relationship with the younger of the Hugo brothers. Hugo and Derain influenced each other in both their personal and artistic lives. Derain was best man at Hugo’s wedding to his wife Monique and remained close to the couple throughout his life. Having devoted himself to painting in the 1920s, Derain turned increasingly to sculpture during the 1930s. Following World War II, he modelled some medallions in terracotta which were later cast in bronze. Although Derain continued to pursue his passion for sculptural works, his interest in jewellery design and casting emerged from his sculptural practices and was undoubtably propelled to new heights by his friendship with Francois Hugo.In the early days of their friendship, Derain had tried his hand at ceramics with the guide of Hugo, but the collaboration didn’t amount to much and the pieces do not survive. In the late 1940s, Derain once more turned to Hugo to draw upon his knowledge and skill in the creation of 10 sculptural jewels for his wife Alice Prense. Derain’s initial designs were crafted from the lead he had reused from empty paint-tubes from his studio. Six of these jewels were intended to be made in editions of 23 carat gold by Hugo, but Derain tragically died in a road accident in 1954 before the project could come to fruition. Hugo paid homage to the legacy of his friend and legendary artist by eventually making editions in 1966 and 1967.Jewellery made by artists is a rarity. This is not simply down to the fact that there have been only a select number of painters and sculptors who have managed to master the skill involved with making jewellery, but more so because the fruits of their work remain largely buried in private collections. Artist’s jewellery may be given as a gift to a lover, passed down as a family heirloom, or simply kept by the artist themselves. Jewellery of this kind is therefore imbued with a deeply personal nature which is integral to the creative process. The term ‘art jewellery’ itself signifies that the work is handmade and unique. Never mass produced, such jewellery is rather the result of a collaboration between the artist and a jeweller who is trained in the field, or the sole efforts of the artist to step outside his or her own métier to embrace an entirely different world. As with any creative endeavour, the jewellery becomes an extension of the artist’s wider body of work and offers an insight into a realm of design aside from painting or sculpture. The pieces in this sale offer just that and provide us with a glimpse into the intricate workings and personal motivations of three prolific early 20th century artists – Jean Cocteau, André Derain and Pablo Picasso. All three worked under the helm of goldsmith and master-craftsman François Hugo, who provided them with the tools to enable their artistic vision to flourish in the world of jewellery-making.The great-grandson of the eminent writer Victor Hugo and son of painter Georges Hugo, François Hugo’s well-established lineage boasts a host of widely celebrated French cultural figures. François was born in Rovezzano, Italy, in 1899, and trained as an engineer in his early years before entering the creative field by trying his hand at sculpture and painting. He then opened his own workshop in Paris in 1934, where he worked as a silver and goldsmith from 1936 onwards. Throughout the Second World War and following into the late 40s and 50s, François Hugo designed and created buttons from non-precious metals and enamel for fashion houses including Dior, Chanel, Givenchy and Lanvin. His first attempt at creating jewellery had in fact come before the War, in the form of a brief and experimental collaboration with his close friend Andre Derain, but it wasn’t until later that he fully dedicated himself to perfecting the craft of silver and goldsmithing.Francois Hugo was responsible for some of the most important collaborations in precious metals of the twentieth century. Since the 1950s, Ateliers Hugo have famously collaborated with some of the world’s greatest artists and sparked a movement of ‘Bijoux d’Artistes’. Initially, all the artists who Hugo worked with were long-time friends, and included the likes of Max Ernst, Jean Arp, Jean Cocteau, Andre Derain, Dorothea Tanning and Pablo Picasso amongst others. Hugo ingeniously proposed to them to make reduced versions of their works which would be crafted in his workshop and could serve as wearable jewellery. Over sixty-five years later, François’ 32-year-old grandson Nicolas now runs the family business, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps as the third generation of Ateliers Hugo to create intricate treasures and develop new collections with contemporary artists at their goldsmith workshop in the South of France. The 65th anniversary of Ateliers Hugo was celebrated in 2020 and marked by new collaborations, including one with American artist Josh Sperling, released in April of this year.Condition Report: Minor signs of wear, overall in good conditionTotal gross weight approx. 60.80gplease note that this pendant was authenticated verbally by the workshop HUGO and a certificate of authenticity would be made by the workshop if purchased.