Antoine Poncet
(French, b. 1928)

"Ochicagogo"

carved quartz amorphous sculpture
unsigned, rotating on a black marble base, after the 1979 monumental bronze at the Musee de la sculpture en plein air, Jardin Tino Rossi, Paris.
h. 12", w. 10-1/2", d. 6-1/2"

Provenance: The Estate of Bonnie Bolding Swearingen, Birmingham, Alabama.

Notes: This sculpture was likely commissioned from the artist by the Swearingens; the couple had several small-scale versions of monumental public sculptures they admired (see the Bertoia sculpture offered lot 852). The Swearingens were close friends with the Canadian-born businessman Nathan Cummings. Cummings, the founder of Consolidated Foods (which included the ubiquitous Sara Lee line) was a renowned art collector and patron; one of his protegees was the artist of this work, Antoine Poncet. All frequently attended the same functions, including a 1970 Washington, D.C. art exhibition sponsored by Cummings, which was described in the Chicago Daily News on June 29, 1970.