A ‘Médusa’ desk by Michel Haillard, France, circa 2000
A ‘Médusa’ desk by Michel Haillard, France, circa 2000
An extraordinary and highly sculptural ‘Médusa’ desk by French artist and designer Michel Haillard (b. 1959), whose distinctive furniture occupies the territory between functional design, sculpture and the fantastical. Haillard is particularly celebrated for his dramatic ‘neo-tribal’ creations, combining traditional cabinetmaking with unexpected natural materials including horn, hide, bronze and exotic woods to create unique, almost mythological forms.
Constructed from wood, cow and hartebeest horns and bronze, the desk is supported on four spectacular sweeping horn legs terminating in carved wooden ball feet. The upper section opens to reveal four small drawers, with a further central drawer and larger drawer positioned to the right-hand side. The elaborate carved and gilt decoration, animalistic supports and richly patinated surfaces give the piece the unmistakable theatrical character associated with Haillard’s work.
Importantly, this very desk is documented as the ‘Médusa’ model, No. 53 in Tribal Poursuite, published by Éditions Alternatives in 2000, providing an unusually strong connection between the physical piece and the artist’s published body of work.
The desk also has notable provenance, having belonged to British socialite, television personality and art-world figure Tamara Beckwith. One of the original and most recognisable London ‘It girls’ of the 1990s, Beckwith subsequently established herself within the arts, co-founding The Little Black Gallery, a Chelsea gallery specialising in photography. Her highly individual interiors and longstanding interest in art, photography and unconventional design have themselves been extensively documented in the British press. The desk’s flamboyant, provocative character makes its provenance particularly appropriate, linking one of Haillard’s most distinctive creations with a prominent figure in London’s fashion, society and contemporary art circles.
To be sold together with a copy of Tribal Poursuite signed by Michel Haillard and inscribed to Tamara Beckwith, further reinforcing the direct provenance between artist, original owner and the documented piece.
Condition: good vintage condition with wear, marks and natural variations to the horn, wood, bronze and other materials consistent with age and the nature of the construction. Please refer to photographs.
Dimensions: 112cm high, 155cm wide(at the base of the feet), 90cm deep
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REFERENCE: G2662