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"View Slideshow\n\nOn June 19, in the wake of New York's blockbuster design auctions, bids were steadily climbing at a sale half-way around the globe in Brussels. There, Pierre Berg\u00E9 &amp;amp; Associ\u00E9s was making its way lot by lot through the personal collection of Christian Astuguevieille, a visionary French furniture artisan who, in 1989, found instant acclaim after his debut exhibition at Paris's Galerie Yves Gastou. His signature creations\u2014wrapped in hemp rope or painted cotton cord and distinguished by tribal-like forms\u2014have since landed in the collections of such celebrated tastemakers as Delphine Krakoff, Tomas Maier, and Philippe Starck. Even given that cult following, interest in the 200-plus pieces on the block proved surprisingly high, particularly in the case of several prototypes and artist's proofs. A 1994 stool valued pre-sale at less than $1,000, for instance, achieved a remarkable $5,700, while a bench from that same year more than quadrupled its estimate to bring $37,900, making it the top lot. Most striking perhaps were a handful of works in red\u2014a complement to Astuguevieille's studies in blue\u2014among them a 1999 bench that realized $17,700 against an $8,900 high estimate. Such purchases, it's easy to imagine, could well turn out to be sound investments. Here, AD surveys the highlights. (Prices reflect buyers' premiums.)"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/christian-astuguevieille-pierre-berge-auction-brussels>