Alexandre Biaggi has been exhibiting the greatest names in twentieth century decorative art in his gallery in the rue de Seine in Paris since 1996, including Jean-Michel Frank, André Arbus, Jacques Adnet, Paul Dupré-Lafon, Serge Roche, Jean Royère and Jacques Quinet. Beside the works of these great names he also displays pieces by contemporary designers, a way of making a connection between his work as an antique dealer and current creation. This is also a way of showing that the great tradition of the decorative arts is still alive and well today. The exhibition he is presenting today pursues this same idea. Based around the taste for Antiquity, there is a real relationship between creators separated by time. He explains the reasons :
Why did you chose this theme for the exhibition ?
I wanted to show that this appreciation of the antique which regularly showed itself between the Renaissance and the 18th century reappeared in the 20th century and continues today…This is also a way of making a connection with the 1930’s, 40’s and 50s which I love so much and of looking ahead to the future.
What are the great illustrations of this in the 20th century?
The 20th century is not only the century which saw the birth of design. There were many decorators who continued to create decors in the great French tradition, taking their inspiration from the neo-classical movement, among others. I am thinking of André Arbus of course, who was very inspired by the Louis XVI style, but also of the Lyre table by Marc du Plantier which I am exhibiting, or the furniture designed by Emilio Terry for Jean-Michel Frank, with typically “antique” motifs such as Greek or the sabre leg.
Is the taste for the antique and neo-classicism the same thing?
The taste for the antique includes neo-classicism. It is wider, not only concerning Greco-Roman antiquity, but also having its roots in Ancient Egypt as with Marc du Plantier and his Egyption seat or his Papyrus standard lamps. He also finds his inspiration in a more archaic antiquity, as shown by the sculpture of Alberto Giacometti which is very close to Nuragic bronzes. Giacometti, who also flirted with Egypt in his Toutankhamon lamp created for Jean-Michel Frank… But the most emblematic is the decorator Robsjohn-Gibbings, who was directly inspired by scenes painted on Greek vases to create ad hoc furniture like a historical reconstitution, an approach similar to that of Théodore Reinach and his Kérylos villa.
Was this taste for the antique swept away by the 1950’s?
Not completely. Piero Fornasetti found his inspiration in Antiquity throughout his whole life. This taste was also sustained by the Jansen establishment or the decorator John Dickinson. It returned in the 1980’s with Ricardo Bofill in architecture or Mark Brazier-Jones and his seats which use decorative elements such as wings, clawed feet and the curule shape. The history of this taste eternally repeats itself.
And today?
It is still there in small touches. You can find it in the latest furniture by Andrea Branzi, who incorporates the reproduction of Roman frescos. For the exhibition, I am presenting pieces by Patrick Naggar, who is very much inspired by Antiquity, a lamp by Patrice Dangel, whose register evokes rather more primitive societies, and an Ephèse lamp I designed.
Do you have this taste for the antique?
I have always liked things inspired by Antiquity, but I feel a more general resurgence of interest. The Louvre has just presented an exhibition entitled "L’Antiquité rêvée” (Antiquity Rediscovered) and the Bourdelle museum is exhibiting the “antique” dresses of Madame Gres… Today there are many currents and trends. The baroque rubs shoulders with minimalism, and I wonder if we have not reached a point where we want to return to the roots of our civilisation and rediscover the sense of balance and an ideal of beauty.
As a reaction against cold, soulless design?
Without going that far, because design is one of the great inventions of the 20th century, I think that in a world that is increasingly scientific and technical, where the mysteries of beauty, creation and the soul are no longer the focus of our attentions, we need this return to our roots.