Selected objects
For more than half a century, the Axel Vervoordt Company’s relationship with art and antiques has been a way to share our experiences of the world. We believe the best way to full inhabit a space is by being surrounded by architecture, furniture, art, and objects that are represented by the honesty of their materials and the purity of intent in their creation.
José Zanine Caldas - Square sculptured socle
The Frank Wlasek collection, created by José Zanine Caldas in the late 1960s, contains the largest amount of custom-made furniture and sculptures by the architect-designer ever to be seen, and which has been kept together to this day. More than 30 pieces make up this collection, ranging from monumental dining tables made out of entire tree trunks or roots of tropical salvaged hardwood, large series of Caldas' well-known trunk chairs and several masterpieces of sculpture.
Relief fragment of Isi and Rekhti
Old Kingdom reliefs set the stylistic standards for centuries to come. In addition, they reveal much about what defined the society that created them: a sincere appreciation for human existence and its many delights, a deep reverence for the gods and the pharaoh, and above all else an unwavering faith in the promises of the afterlife. Shown here is an intriguing fragment of such a relief, showing the nobleman Isi and his wife Rekhti, together with their children.
Jules Wabbes - Round table
In 1974, at the end of his life, he declared in a late interview with Michelle Feiner: "The creation is an invention that has to be improved, made valuable by perfect technicians. The creation lives a life of its own. I always liked nice things, beautiful things that are well made. I create timeless objects that will resist the test of time."
Le Corbusier - Stool
The design of these stools was first used in the Cabanon Le Corbusier and Unités de camping in Roquebrune-Cap Martin (1951 - 1952). Le Corbusier designed the cabanon in accordance with the proportions of his Modulor and furnished it with furniture prototypes in solid wood. The small building was itself a prototype for the Unités de camping which Le Corbusier created for Thomas Rebutato. The stools were produced in solid chestnut and are equipped with six open handles, one on each side of the cube. The design was reused in the Unité d'habitation in a more cost-effective manner.
Writing desk
The firm Gillows, or Gillow as it was originally known, was founded by Robert Gillow in Lancaster. The earliest records date from 1731 and by the end of the eighteenth century they were famous for being ingenious cabinet-makers, which they exported to London and overseas. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Gillows family members ceased to be involved in the business but the name Gillows endured. Their furniture was distinctly conservative in style, continuing to produce certain models years after they had ceased to be fashionable.
Vladimir Kagan - Contour side chair
The sensual Contour Side Chair combines a smooth and fluid frame with a comfortably reclining seat. This authentic furniture piece retains the original upholstery and is labelled underneath. The 'Contour' series of furniture was first produced in 1953 by Kagan-Dreyfuss - a New York-based company founded by Hugo Dreyfuss and Vladimir Kagan in 1950 - and was a favourite of celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Gary Cooper.
Torso of a man
The delicately carved torso presents an idealized depiction of the upper body of a man. This type of representation is characteristic for the Ptolemaic Period, when anatomical features were generalized in order to be easily recognizable. Details of the human body are alluded to rather than elaborated, and the plastic qualities of the human flesh are often ignored, with arms and legs presenting the same appearance, whether they are held straight or flexed. The only indication of musculature in this sculpture is the slight curvature of the pectorals.
Gerrit Rietveld - "Utrecht" armchair
The angular and geometric lineament of this prototype of the very rare pre-war "Utrecht" Armchair by Gerrit Rietveld endows it with a gravity defying appearance. The compact, box-like nature of the chair is emphasized by the execution of the armrests - which turn into the front legs - and the absence of hind legs. The seat and backrest create an angle of which the join functions as the hind legs.
Whetstone
This whetstone gained its beautiful and markedly contemporary shape as well as its highly polished surface through years and years of repetitive use. The size indicates that it was used by a sedentary farming society, as it is far too large and heavy to be carried around by hunter-gatherers.
