Page 47 - Reside Magazine Premier Central Florida

Reside — Central Florida Edition
“ TWO HOMES, MANY PASSIONS
WORKS BY
PHILIPPE HIQUILY,
WHO HAD
BECOME A FRIEND,
WERE GIVEN
PRIDE OF PLACE
” reveals a surprising aspect of his taste—a fascination with religious objects.
Photos: © B. Chelly/Albin Michel; © Guillaume de Laubier; © Olivier Bac. Left: Gastou’s Biarritz villa
featured 20th-century and
contemporary design pieces
such as The Skull chair by Vladi
Rapaport, 2023. Rosary beads,
crucifixes, and other religious
symbols decorated the walls.
Right: His Paris apartment
mirrored his gallery, with an
eclectic array of contemporary
furnishings and sculptures
began to recognize his cries. At the time I was embarrassed that he
brought attention to himself in such refined company. Today, when I think
I won’t ever hear his happy outbursts again, it makes me want to cry.”
The forthcoming auctions of Yves Gastou’s personal collection at Sotheby’s
Paris say a lot about the eclecticism of his taste. His Paris apartment on Quai
Malaquais was filled with the same mix of 20th-century art and design that
alongside Altuglas columns by Jean-Claude Farhi and an acrylic occasional
he sold in his gallery. A resin Expansion mural by César was displayed
table, Placebo, by Shiro Kuramata. There was colorful glassware by Sottsass
and a scarlet Carapace cabinet by François Cante-Pacos, who created
futuristic furniture for the fashion designer Pierre Cardin and was the last
of Gastou’s great enthusiasms. Works by Hiquily, who had become a friend,
were given pride of place, with a desk, Cygne lamps, candelabra, a gilded
brass dining table, and an aluminium Coque armchair.
For his holiday home, he chose a gothic-revival folly built for a member of the
At Gastou’s retreat in Biarritz there was a completely different ambience.
imperial court under Napoleon III. The villa, topped with battlements, also
Despite being an atheist, Gastou hung the walls with crucifixes,
rosaries, and medallions bearing the portraits of martyrs. On the doors
of a book cabinet by André Arbus there were a number of votive offerings
in the shape of the Sacred Heart, alongside reliquary frames and silver crosses.
The top of a sideboard by Jean-Charles
Moreux held chalices, candle-snuffers, and
an enamel plaque portraying Saint Sebastian.
On another table stood a devil.
Gastou was also fond of 19th-century
bronzes, and the figures of brave knights
in his collection express his nostalgia
for a childhood spent within the ramparts
of Carcassonne. Prominent among the
warriors in shining armor was Joan of Arc, the
great French heroine of the Hundred Years’
War with England.
The Biarritz villa is a true cabinet of
curiosities. Pebbles that Gastou collected
along Bidart Beach were piled up on a forged
What was this aesthete seeking in the local
iron bench to form a kind of land art. Every
day on holiday he would set out on a treasure
hunt, and he rarely came home empty-handed.
bazaars and rummage sales? Simply another
moment of wonder. 0
Laurence Mouillefarine is an art market
specialist and regular contributor to
Architectural Digest
》 The Yves Gastou auction series
with highlights on view March 15–18
45 runs March 13–20 at Sotheby’s Paris,