136 - Valentine Schlegel (1925–2021)

Valentine Schlegel (1925–2021) Sculpture Terracotta Signed "V.Schlegel," dated "1988," and numbered 1/8 Date of creation: 1988 H 38.5, W 22.5, D 11 cm Provenance: Estate of Yvonne Brunhammer / Valentine Schlegel Bibliography / documentation: Hélène Bertin, *Valentine Schlegel: I Sleep, I Work*, exhibition catalog, CAC Brétigny, 2017. Born in Sète, Valentine Schlegel developed a free-spirited body of work over more than half a century, at the intersection of sculpture, ceramics, and interior architecture; she is known in particular for her organically shaped plaster fireplaces. Long overlooked by the wider public, her work has been rediscovered in recent years by institutions and collectors. This 1988 sculpture, with its supple and compact forms, illustrates her penchant for shapes inspired by nature. Its direct provenance—the estate of Yvonne Brunhammer / Valentine Schlegel—makes it a piece of great authenticity; Yvonne Brunhammer was a curator at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.