Rago Auctions

Known for her exquisite creations in the field of decorative arts, particularly in jewelry and objets d'art, French artist and designer Line Vautrin was born in Paris in 1913. Her family owned a bronze foundry, where Vautrin began to teach herself gilding and metalwork techniques; she had designed her first pieces by the age of 21 and by the 1940s had been dubbed the “poetess of metal” by Vogue.

Vautrin worked briefly for designer Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1930s. In 1937, she showed her own buttons and jewelry at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, introducing her works to an international audience. She soon opened her own studio near the Champs-Élyséees, offering her own works that embraced fantasy and play, and often included riddles. Her creations became highly sought-after, and Vautrin quickly gained a reputation as one of the most innovative and imaginative designers of her time. Devoted to experimentation, Vautrin perfected her own formula for cellulose acetate resin in 1955, trademarking it as Talosel.

In 1969, Vautrin and her daughter founded the Association for the Development of the Manual Arts, a craft school where she taught metalworking and jewelry making. The school also offered some of the raw materials Vautrin employed in her own practice, such as mirrors and sheets of Talosel.

Vautrin's designs have been exhibited internationally, including at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She also won numerous awards, including the Légion d'honneur and the Grand Prix des Arts Décoratifs, and her works continue to be highly sought-after by collectors today.