Sido and François Thevenin

Important, monumental and unique 'Musique au Paradis' wall-mounted sculpture, 1974

Footnotes

Provenance
Galerie Drouant, Paris, 1974
Aga Khan IV, acquired from the above
André Malizard, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France, 1970s
Acquired from the above, private collection, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France, 2002
Thence by descent to the present owner

Exhibited
Galerie Drouant, Paris, 1974

A FEW THINGS ABOUT SIDO AND FRANÇOIS THEVENIN.
Nicolas Thevenin

François Thevenin was born in Aix-en-Provence, France in 1931, and Sido (Gisèle Sidoti), Casablanca, Morocco in 1934. Sidoti was her maiden name, which led to her artist's pseudonym Sido and is the reason why some works are impressed GTS: Gisèle Thevenin Sidoti. Both artists' careers began from an early age. François achieved first place for modelling clay in year two, sculpting spontaneously and ambitiously the impressive 'Montagne Sainte-Victoire'. At age five, Sido made local news headlines for a sandcastle contest at the beach, having sculpted a shepherd and her sheep that measured a monumental four meters long, commenting "It is fun shaping forms!" In 1952, François and Sido met at the Beaux-arts de Paris, where they studied under the direction of the sculptor and painter Louis Leygue. Following an un-official marriage celebrated with close friends, who described how, "these two spend too much time together", François and Sido officially married in 1954. After welcoming their first child Dominique in 1955 in Paris, they settled in Cannes in the French Riviera between 1957-1958. In 1961, François and Sido worked with the artist Jean Cocteau on the sundial 'Les Lézards' for the village Coaraze in the Alpes-Maritimes above Nice. This commission comprised one of François and Sido's earliest artistic collaborations and works in metal.

François and Sido had progressed toward working in metal following an overwhelming and precarious disappointment. For many months, they had shaped and sculpted hundreds of raw terracotta figures, a "real pacific and sympathetic army". When it came time to bring the works to be fired at a kiln in Vallauris, they carefully packed up every figure into the car and set off. Alas, a sneaky bump at the entrance of the facility reduced their fastidious three months of artistic production to utter dust and detritus. However, this unfortunate event led to a fortunate outcome, convincing François and Sido to turn towards the far more durable medium of metal.

Another collaboration began after meeting Jacques Couëlle, acknowledged as 'the architect of billionaires', whose ideas and appreciation for execution appealed to François and Sido. In 1962, they began working with the architect on Castellaras Estate in Mouans-Sartoux, France, applying their artisanal skill within the space to create door furniture, lighting, among other interior fittings and fixtures. Whilst working with Couëlle, François and Sido became close friends with the actor Marcel Duhamel, who subsequently introduced them to the brothers Jacques and Pierre Prévert, Pablo Picasso (who often visited their workshop, commenting that it reminded him of Bateau-Lavoir, his workshop in Montparnasse), Yves Tanguy, Brassaï, and many others. In 1966, Sido gave birth to their second son Nicolas in Cannes. During this time, François and Sido worked on several international commissions, including work in Montreal, New York, and Santiago del Chile.

François and Sido also collaborated with Couëlle's son Savin, the architect for Porto Cervo, Sardinia, which was initiated by the Aga Khan IV. The artists and architect worked together for decades, becoming a symbiotic alliance, that could be thought of as almost genetic, as Savin would incorporate François and Sido's sculpture and objects into his architecture, while the two artists would intricately form Couëlle's volumes into their sculpture. This close collaboration developed through many projects across several continents, resulting in sculptural pieces of furniture that includes tables, seating, lighting, doors, grills, and handrails, many of which were unique works of art.

Together François and Sido created a vast collection of work and exhibited at prestigious galleries, including Drouant, Paris in 1972, and Cartier in 1980. Their work, which extends from furniture to sculpture, painting, drawing and etchings, was continually inventive and conveyed an organic, unexpected, and enchanting world for their viewers.

In 1986 Sido passed away at age 52, followed by François in 2016 at age 85, both in their shared house-workshop in Cannes.