Jan and Joël Martel - Locomotive - Capsule Auctions

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Lot 18

Jan and Joël Martel

French (1896-1966)

Locomotive (c. 1931)

Medium

aluminum

Dimensions

18 x 42 x 15 1/2 inches

Signature

'J.J. MARTEL' to the front of the locomotive

Estimate: $150,000 - $200,000

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About this Lot

Description

Provenance: Property From the Estate of Geoffrey Beene. Proceeds from this item to benefit the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Condition: overall good condition, with loss of one "J", and some areas of light oxidation especially to crevices

Jan and Joël Martel

French 1896-1966

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.

A selection from

The Estate of Geoffrey Beene

Image for Collection The Estate of Geoffrey Beene

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.