Pauline Karpidas auction shows off the perfect merger of high art and functional living

Works by Les Lalannes will attract global interest writes Des O'Sullivan

Claude Lalanne's Unique Structure Vegetale bed is estimated by Sotheby's at £200,000-£300,000 (€230,880-€346,000).

Prices everywhere are skyrocketing so how about a bed for €346,000. Not imaginary, not just any old bed and probably not a bad investment. 

The Unique Structure Vegetale bed in gold patinated bronze was commissioned directly from Claude Lalanne in 2012 by Pauline Karpidas. It is described by Sotheby's, who estimate it at £200,000-£300,000 (€230,880-€346,000), as a fusion of nature, surrealism and personal sanctuary.

Claude Lalanne's Unique Structure Vegetale bed is described by Sotheby's as a fusion of nature, surrealism and personal sanctuary.

Pauline Karpidas first met the Lalannes - Francois Xavier (1927-2008) and Claude (1924-2019) - in 1978 at their magical home and workshop at Ury, outside Paris in 1978. Long before they became synonymous with global superstardom in the worlds of art and interiors she was one of their first collectors. 

No less than 60 works by Les Lalannes, including many uniquely designed commissions, will feature at Sotheby's day and evening sales of her collection on September 17 and 18 and the online sale, which runs from Monday, September 8 until September 19.

The surrealistic contents of the London home of this trailblazing collector, 250 lots with an estimate of £60m (€69.34m) in total, constitute the most valuable designated collection ever to be offered in Europe. 

She shares with Les Lalannes a knack for seamlessly merging high art and functional living and the sale offers masterpieces by Hans Bellmer, Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, René Magritte, Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons.

Rene Magritte's 'La Statue volante'

Among them are La Statue volante (The Flying Statue), one of Magritte's most enigmatic paintings from the last decade of his career (£9m-£12m, €10.4m-€13.87m). 

A 1949 work by Leonora Carrington, The Hour of the Angelus (£600,000-£800,000, €693,420-€924,560) reflects the inspiration she drew from Mexico's traditions, where Aztec, Mayan and Catholic beliefs co-existed in harmony. 

It echoes the myths passed down to Carrington by her Irish grandmother. 

Leonora Carrington's 'The Hour of the Angelus'

The treasure trove of paintings includes two works by Andy Warhol inspired by Munch, his favourite artist, alongside Henri Matisse.

The Manchester-born collector credits her late husband Constantine (Dinos) Karpidas, a Greek shipping magnate, with opening her eyes to the beauty of wonderful things. After coming face-to-face with exceptional surrealist paintings at the Athens home of gallerist Alexander Iolas in 1974, her love of art took on an entirely new life. 

She studied Surrealism, visiting galleries, libraries, and museums while becoming friends with Les Lalanne, Warhol and others along the way. This is the lifetime journey of a true collector who honed her eye and her sensibility as she delved deep into her subject.

An immersive exhibition telling the story of the journey of Pauline Karpidas over half a century gets underway at Sotheby's in London on Monday, September 8.