Each year, London’s oldest auction house Sotheby’s hosts its incredible design week auctions, dedicated to exceptional works of design. Celebrated alongside this year's sales lineup, was Tiffany & Co’s exclusive dinnerware collection in partnership with César Foundation.
Sotheby’s salute to the exquisite work of Tiffany & Co during the week of events, was recognised through the Dreaming in Glass: Masterworks by Tiffany Studio’s auction. This curation of Tiffany & Co’s most important designs headed to auction with Sotheby’s on 13th December, including a rare Tiffany window, sold for a staggering $1.2 million.
Tiffany’s latest collection, however, was displayed in a devoted exhibition during this year’s design week, paying homage to the work of French artisan César Baldaccini.
Sculptor Baldaccini, a leading figure in the new realism era, found beauty in the unconventional and masterfully transformed compacted and recycled materials into works of art. Most notably his ‘Compression’ sculptures welded stacks of scrap metal into statuesque structures, with this work later becoming sought-after amongst art enthusiasts.
Yet, it was his playful broken plate design of the early 70’s that served as inspiration for this one-of-a-kind Tiffany & Co. collection.
Artist Director of Tiffany Home Lauren Santo Domingo shares that “The collection taps into his radical creativity to express the notion of breaking conventions of modern living. At their core, these collections celebrate Tiffany’s heritage and our long-standing connection to the art world.”
The collection, an ode to the spirit of ‘inventive artistry’, fuses the sculptor’s archival designs with Tiffany & Co’s stylised flair. Comprising beautifully ornate espresso cups and ‘broken’ dessert plates, César Baldaccini’s revolutionary work shines throughout the collection.
“César was fascinated with the idea of repurposing and recontextualizing. He took the idea of a broken plate and applied a new vision,” says Stephanie Busuttil-Janssen, Founder and President of the César Foundation. “His kitchen walls and ceiling were covered with white and blue broken plates, classic ceramics that he found in the market. It was beautiful. Even his garden featured broken plates – it’s something that is very César.”
In true Baldaccini fashion, the César Foundation and Tiffany offer precious materials across the collection, including bone china dinnerware and gold-plated brass coffee spoons. Taking inspiration from Tiffany & Co gemstones, and of course the iconic Tiffany blue, the collection’s colourways adopt a revitalised and refreshed feeling.
The pièce de résistance, a bronze-adorned charger plate, recalls the sculptor's love for the Art Nouveau movement. Inspired by Baldaccini’s ‘Expansion’ pieces of the late 60’s, this beautiful molten-metal creation marks a new and daring direction for tableware, much like César's ingenious mid-century art.
Sotheby’s exhibition, held during their design week, accompanied Tiffany’s designs with a tablescape, which captured the essence of the collection to no end. Set upon a 1977 ‘Table Expansion’ by the sculptor himself, the display featured several art pieces inspired by César’s designs beside the full dinnerware collection.
Tiffany & Co. and César Foundation’s creations are a true testament to the French sculptor and Tiffany’s enduring connection to the world of art. While the collection may not be up for auction with Tiffany Studios rare and vintage pieces just yet, it is certainly one for luxury collectors and art lovers alike to treasure.
Discover the full collection below.
Set of Six Coffee Spoons - $1,380
Dessert Plates - $960
Espresso Cups - $1,725
Cocktail Napkin - $410
Charger - $9,500
Coupe Bowl - $5,000
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