1 / 8
a wooden sculpture of a snail on a glass tablea wooden sculpture of a bird on a glass tablea wooden sculpture of a bird on a glass tablea wooden sculpture of a snail sitting on a glass tablewooden sculpture of a bird on a glass table with a beige backgrounda wooden sculpture of a bird on a glass tablewooden sculpture of a hand holding a ball on a glass tablea close up of a wooden sculpture of a bird
Premium FauveParis

243 - Etienne Martin (1913–1995) Abstract sculpture, 1972. Carved …
See original version (French)

Estimate €3,000 - €5,000
Sale commission
Description
Etienne Martin (1913–1995) Abstract sculpture, 1972. Carved wood, signed and dated. H. 42.5 cm, W. 27 cm, D. 25 cm ‘I chose sculpture because I couldn’t manage to do anything else. And more seriously, because sculpture is something you can grasp with both hands, embrace, walk round, move about within, and possibly even enter.” – Etienne-Martin in an interview with the newspaper *Libération*, in August 1992. In his retrospective at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon in 2011, Etienne-Martin was described as “one of the greatest French sculptors of the 20th century”; yet few people are familiar with his work today, as it is rarely exhibited in major institutions (where it is, in fact, present!). The sculpture on display is a unique piece, of museum-quality interest, which bears witness to the originality of the artist—who was closely associated with James-Jacques Brown (whose work is featured in this sale) and François Stahly, and inspired by Constantin Brancusi and Georges Gurdjieff.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Les Redécouvertes – 8th edition
Auction location
Auction time 07/18/2026 at 2:00 PM
Lot description modified on 07/08/2026 at 5:16 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like