Estimate: $150,000 - $200,000
aluminum
18 x 42 x 15 1/2 inches
'J.J. MARTEL' to the front of the locomotive
Property From the Estate of Geoffrey Beene. Proceeds from this item to benefit the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
overall good condition, with loss of one "J", and some areas of light oxidation especially to crevices
If you are interested in bidding, please contact us to request more photos, or make an appointment for in-person inspection. To ensure prompt assistance, we recommend reaching out at least 24 hours before the auction by calling 212-353-2277 or emailing us at admin@capsuleauctions.com.
Condition reports are based on visual inspection by the Capsule team under typical office lighting. Unless otherwise noted, items are not examined under UV light in advance of sale. We do not guarantee the content of written or verbal condition reports. Remember, all lots are previously owned and all sales are final. The absence of a condition report does not imply that there are no condition issues with the lot.
Art has not been examined out of the frame unless otherwise stated. Frames, lampshades, or items described as “supplementary” are not considered integral to the value of the lot and are excluded from condition assessments. This includes any mat, mounting, glazing, hanging apparatus, case, box, or stand. Timepiece movements, lighting elements and items with mechanical or electrical components have not been thoroughly tested and are not covered under warranty by Capsule.
Jan Martel and Joël Martel were French sculptors and identical twin brothers born in 1896. They were among the founding members of Union des Artistes Modernes. Their works include ornamental sculptures, statues, monuments and fountains displaying characteristics typical of the Art Deco and Cubist periods. Their work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Sharing the same workshop, their jointly created works were co-signed simply Martel or J.J. Martel. The brothers took part in a number of Paris exhibitions including the Salon des Indépendants, Salon d'Automne, Salon des Tuileries and the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs. iIn 1925, their concrete trees were featured in a collaboration with architect Robert Mallet-Stevens. In 1932, they created the Claude Debussy monument which sits on the boulevard Lannes in Paris while other examples of their work can be found permanently displayed in Paris and in other parts of France.
At the request of the French national railways system, the Martel brothers were commissioned to create a series of modernist aluminum sculptures for the Colonial Exhibition, 1931 of which this is one.
Geoffrey Beene acquired this J.J. Martel Locomotive in 1982.
Geoffrey Beene was an icon of the American fashion scene: as the New York Times put it, "fashion editors ran out of superlatives to describe Mr. Beene's high-wire act." Just a year after founding his firm in 1963, Beene was awarded the prestigious Coty American Fashion Critics' Award. This would be one of eight Coty awards given to the designer over the course of his life, more than any other designer has received to date. Over the next four decades, Beene built on his reputation as a one-of-a-kind designer, producing acclaimed lines of women's and men's clothing, accessories, and perfume. In 1976, he became the first American designer to show a collection in Milan, Italy.
Two years after Geoffrey Beene's death in 2004, the Geoffrey Beene Foundation was established in his honor. The mission of the Foundation is to support critical philanthropic causes, the most important being the establishment in 2006 of the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Since its creation in 2006, the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center has served as a nucleus for revolutionary new research approaches in preventing, diagnosing, and treating cancer.
Proceeds from this item to benefit the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
