“As a creator, Kenzo Takada obviously had a very sharp sense of aestheticism,” Stéphane Aubert, associate director and auctioneer at Artcurial, says. He’s speaking to AD ahead of this week’s sale of Takada’s personal collection, which stems from the longtime Paris apartment of the acclaimed fashion designer. Located in 11th arrondissement in Paris and first constructed by French architect Louis Sorel in 1912, the abode, too, was indicative of Takada’s keen eye for all things design. But Haussmannian bones and Ed Tuttle revamp aside, the star attraction of the top floor home was without a doubt the pieces of furniture and decor that Takada assembled.
“Japan, of course, was a very important source of inspiration for him, but his apartment also revealed a broad interest for other cultures,” Aubert notes. Certainly, the eclectic range of lots included in the auction testify to Takada’s passion for objects from a wide range of periods and places. There is a Han dynasty Hinoki horse, a third century Buddha torso, and a series of thirteen photographs by William Eggleston (among other things). For the less art-obsessed, Aubert’ s own favorite offerings—tableware, ranging from Japanese stoneware to Baccarat Cristal glasses—might be even more intriguing.
Kenzo Takada in his Paris apartment.
But of course, even though Takada did design some pieces of furniture before his fall 2020 death, he is best known for being a pioneering fashion designer. It’s fitting then that sartorial finds would be among the auction’s treasures, albeit as part of their own special capsule sale. “While doing an inventory on the apartment we discovered around a hundred fashion designs by Kenzo Takada: colorful jackets with floral prints, embroideries, satin gowns, Japanese-inspired pieces such as kimonos and some flat patterns and menswear,” Aubert explains. “Most of these fashion pieces are signed ‘Takada’ or ‘Gokan Kobo,’ and some are still contain pins.”
And yet, it might be Takada’s own words on decor that might most continue to inspire the Artcurial audience: “[Kenzo] often stated that ‘his ideal interior was one where comfort invites you to stay at home,’” Aubert notes. Words to live—and design—by, for sure.\
