Alexandre Noll

Alexandre Noll had a spiritual approach to carving, which would yield some of the most sublime art and design of the 20th century. Noll first turned to wood carving after a brief stint as a banker and deployment in World War I. He began making parasol handles for the Bon Marché department store in Paris and quickly gained the attention of couturier and fashion icon Paul Poiret, who commissioned him to create wooden lamps. At the interest of friends, Noll soon carved vases, salt cellars, pitchers and trays among other small objects. The proliferation of forms reached an apex in the late 1930s when Noll turned to furniture making - utilizing large pieces of wood to create sculptural commodes, desks, chairs, benches and tables.

Working at the intersection of sculpture and design, Noll showed a predilection for an organic visual language - rounded edges, curved corners and wavering surfaces were prevalent throughout his furniture and objects. His pieces challenged the furniture scene of his day - it was not reproducible and was often criticized as being rudimentary and somewhat primitive during a period when designers were developing mass production techniques and using modern, man made materials. Noll continued to work in this artistic mode, exhibiting small carved wooden sculptures in 1939 in Paris and 1940 at the Milan Triennale. Noll transitioned to sculpture as a main output after the Second World War, which considering his interest in sculptural forms for functional objects, could be seen as a natural evolution.

The present lot is an exemplary sculpture from the oeuvre of Alexandre Noll. Deeply interested in man’s relationship with nature, he sought to express the inherent characteristics of wood rather than force it to represent something else. This sculpture appears fluid and natural, the singular twisting form wrapping in an almost-closed loop with lobes playfully undulating and swooping. It seems to be self aware - contouring and pulling close to itself without ever touching. The abstract, contemplative form of this sculpture is indicative of the relationship fostered between Noll and nature as spiritual and symbiotic. With the present lot, Noll creates through his singular, authentic practice a provocative artwork of lyrical originality.