Items from Artist Cindy Sherman’s Laplace-Designed Parisian Pied-à-Terre Are Headed to Auction
The upcoming sale perfectly reflects the artist’s world: modernist, elegant, and full of culture and experimentation, with a touch of Parisian chic
When the American artist Cindy Sherman decided to take an apartment in Paris, she found herself with an empty space in need of some help. She called upon the Paris-based firm Laplace, known within the art world as the go-to architects for Hauser & Wirth among other creatives.
“We met Cindy thanks to Annabelle Selldorf, for whom Luis (Laplace, principal and co-founder) had worked previously,” says Christophe Comoy, CEO and co-founder of Laplace. “This was in 2013, and the apartment was on the Rue de Grenelle; the owners of the building had rented places to artists and art-world people. We were just back from a trip to Abidjan and she wanted all of the fabrics we had. She wanted something a bit unusual and we were, of course, excited to be working with her.”
Some of those fun and colorful textiles were transformed into curtains, which will now be part of an October 2 sale, hosted by Piasa. Also amongst the 218 lots are ceramics, pieces of furniture by Mathieu Matégot, and a peacock feathered hat. There are stacks of books, a portrait of the artist by Karl Lagerfeld, and items from her closet including ensembles by Prada and Marni, to name a few. The trunk she designed for Louis Vuitton in 2014, suitcases from Rimowa, and a Leica camera all punctuate the comprehensive sale that perfectly reflects the artist’s world: modernist, elegant, and full of culture and experimentation, with a touch of Parisian chic.
Everything in the sale found a home in the Laplace-designed apartment, which was truly an expression of her universe. Comoy continues, “she is extremely discrete and never talks about her art, preferring to speak about what she is passionate about. She’s interested in everything, including fashion and design.”
The apartment was already in good condition, so it was simply repainted; everything else was decoration. They spent time going to the flea market to find things and they also designed a few pieces for the space. “She is so easy and communicates clearly about her ideas and what she wants,” states Comoy, who shares that almost everything was sourced in Paris. “She understood the process.”
Before the pandemic, Sherman used to come to Paris often. When she decided to move, the artist chose to put the contents of the apartment up for an auction, which would allow people to enter her world and see things her way. To do it during Paris Fashion Week was even more fun.
Before the actual sale, the residence will be recreated across a full floor at the auction house. Guests can peruse the vignettes September 26 through 30, followed by an online auction. This exciting event offers another unique perspective on the groundbreaking artist.
