NYC Design Auction Madness
Who,Why & What was Sold at the Big Houses
I love that restarting Ye Olde Dead Blog has inspired me to start going to auction previews in person again. Sure, anyone can preview them online, anywhere in the world from the comfort of their beanbag, but to actually hoof it up to Christie's, Sotheby’s, and Phillips is a whole ‘nuther experience and one that I was reminded of how much fun, not to mention educational, seeing the pieces in person can be. I’m not sure if all y’all know this, but when you are at an auction preview at the fanciest of auction houses, you can touch, turn over, shine your flashlight / blacklight on anything and everything on view, and you don’t even have to ask (but you should). If it’s in a case, well then you definitly have to ask some one to unlock the case and take it out, but don’t hesitate, as you can learn so much by putting your hopefully not so grubby little paws on it. I was on my back under a Nakashima table at Christie’s to see if the client’s name was scribbled on it, on my knees with a flashlight checking the finish on a Carlo Mollino table and opening up a Tiffany humidor, and nobody said a word, or asked me if I needed any help either, but the specialists were too busy writing last minute condition reports to care about me.
So, here are things that spoke to me strongly enough to pull my iPhone out and take a picture.
Christie’s is up first:
I have always really like Carlo Bugatti and these chairs were cool, kinda like drums with backs. Not so crazy about the paintings on the back stretchers though. They did ok, selling all in at 38k off an estimate of 30-50k.
I love this Tobia Scarpa lamp originally designed in 1968, and had never seen one in alabaster, but when I looked at the label I noticed that it was not old and sure enough the lamp is from 2025 (!) and was kind a head scratcher as to why it was in the sale. Limited edition of 150 but still. It sold for 19k off n estimate of 15-20k.
Huge fan of Mr. Newson and I especially like these Micarta tables that debuted at Gagaosian in 2006. (I was there at the opening, if you haven’t figured this out yet, I am very old ;-).
The estimate was very low ($25,000 - 30,000) I thought, and it didn’t sell, so not sure what the problem was, maybe a condition issue? There were a few whitish “drinks rings” but that’s something I’m sure Austin Kerr could knock out in an hour or so.
Into the void and damn those pesky white rings!
One of my favorite designers from the mid-century with one of his sexiest tables. This Carlo Mollino table is supposedly the only examplee of this model in black. They were made in Italy, with most of them being distributed by Singer here in the US, so keep your eyes pealed at your next suburban estate sale (and then call me!). This specific table sold for over 600K the last time it went on the block but this go around it was offered at $150,000 - $200,000, which I thought was crazy low and would be a steal for anyone who got it in that range. It thankfully sold for 597k which isn’t exactly what it brought last time, but not bad for an icon of Italian mid-century design.
Very anthropomorphic and sexy to my eyes especially with these shadows.
Nice detail of the etched glass signature pretty much guaranteeing you that the glass is original.
This Mollino photo I could have afforded and I liked it very much but the condition was lacking. If I only had a #TimeMachine to go back to the very first time I saw his photography at a NYC Modernism show in 1995 in Fulvio Ferraris’s booth. Such a cool booth, wish I had photos of it…
These Gustav Miklos “Tours Cubistes” (whatever that is) were amazing, but no one could really understand what you would do with them. Incorporate them into an interior I guess, but a little awkward if you ask me. They were estimated at an eye watering $1,000,000 - $1,500,000 and I don’t believe they sold, as they have been erased from the website. I understand why the house would want to do that, why the consigner would want to do that, but it’s not helpful for those of us that study these objects to leave out crucial information about their sales history and to pretend they didn't pass, but c’est la vie…
Kinda like this Ron Arad chair, not usually a huge fan. Sold for 95k off of an estimate of 70-90k.
Gerrit Reitveld is always a favorite of mine and I was surprised at the late manufacturing date of this “Steltman” chair of 1981. Sold for 25k off an estimate of 15-20K.
I loved this Otto Wagner lamp and love the building it originally came out of even more, the Österreichische Postsparkasse. Say that 3 times fast. Sold for 10k off an estimate of 7-9K.
Big Daddy Hans Coper. Have only had 2 pieces by him ever, one I bought at a flea market and a HUGE charger one time out of a townhouse in Greenwich Village. They were using it as a fruit bowl and when I asked the owner if she would sell it, she hesitated as she said aloud, “But what would we put our fruit in??” I wish I had both of those back! This guy sold for… wait for it… 330k off of an estimate of 70-100k. Nice!
Obligatory detail of the FLW windows everyone was gaga over… Estimate was 500-700k for the pair, sold for… PASS.
Funny to see this in the mix of this particular sale. Not much American design on offer at all in any of the sales. Estimate 10-15k and it was a pass for Charles & Ray.
Loved this lovely piece of Zsolnay which was nicely placed on top of a Paul Evans brutalist cabinet. Estimate 15-20k and it passed.
André Groult sharkskin bed anyone? Kinda cool to see an ionic object, something that you have only seen in books just sitting there. Estimate 250-350k, sold for 318K.
If I was flithy rich I would start collecting Jean Dunand, it’s looking good these days after a huge slump in desirability. Most all of the pieces did really really well though. This one only so, so, it was estimated at 40-60k and sold for 44k.
Next Up is Phillips:
I can be a Zaha Hadid fan, usually liking her early architecture over the furniture, but I found this piece grotesque in its scale, color, design and “function”. I personally can’t imagine trying to place it in an interior where it could actually function as designed (it is a chest of drawers that opens from either side). Estimate was 12-18k and sold for 15k.
I also found this Garouste and Bonetti, utterly lacking in interior decorum, too big, too garish, too too, but maybe I am missing the point. Estimate 20-30k and did not sell.
This I didn’t like either and I am usually a fan of Maarten Bass. Why don’t I like it? Too silly, basically unusable, (yes furniture should be usable). Anyway, estimated at 8-12k, sold for 11k.
I am a BIG Doyle Lae fan, and was lucky enough to buy a nice group way back when there were only one or two zeros in the price and not 4. However, I find this pot too big. Why? Because I am used to the small “pinch pots” that he is famous for and and I think at this scale they loose their intimacy and continuity as a tight and long running series of small pots that can easily fit in your hand. Bigger isn’t always better (so they say) and I tend to agree when it comes to the LA master potter. But, the market has spoken and this big pig sold for 52k off an estimate of 20-30k.
This will give you an idea of how big it was, easily 3-4 times his usual scale.
This was personally my favorite piece at Phillips, a John Lautner floor lamp from the 1939 Frank Lloyd Wright George Sturges residence in Los Angeles. Form, check, usability, check, patina, check, historical importance check, weird and quirky but in a smart thoughtful way, check. I could have definitely lived with this gal. Estimate 20-30k, sold for 39k.
Next Stop Sotheby’s:
The new Sotheby’s headquarters in the former Whitney Museum of Art has been talked about and disected already, so I will skip that for now, but I enjoyed being in the space again. The amazing original ceiling lamps (Gotham Lighting) reflected in this Ron Arad chair were mesmerizing. Estimated at 70-100k it did not sell.
I was very happy to see that the building’s unofficial mascot was reinstalled! Charles Simonds, “Dwellings”, 1981.
The presentation of the Tiffany material was nice. Seeing the vintage photo of Steve Jobs with his “Magnolia” lamp was interesting. This example wasn’t his, but did very well, hammering at nearly 4.5 million off on an estimate of 2-3 million.
After I made it up to the “Important Design” floor I was disappointed to find all the rooms set-up for a dinner, (my invitation must have been lost in the mail) which made viewing things very difficult to say the least.
Loved this moment!
So, that’s where I stopped pulling my iPhone out of my pocket as it was a mess up there and totally not conducive to viewing. I will grab some screen shots though of what the most noteworthy (to me) lot was:
The talk of the whole week was this piece, the Francois-Xavier Lalanne “Hippopotame Bar” from 1976. Estimated at 7-10 million, it sold for a whopping 31.5 million after a bidding war between Jeff Bezos and Ken Griffin, with Ken having more sense (duh) and dropping out, letting Jeffery take his hippo home to Lauren.
Whew, that’s it for now, and if you are still here thanks for looking and reading and see you next week!
-Patrick