Important 20th Century Design - June 14, 2008 On June 14, 2008, Sotheby’s New York will hold a sale of Important 20th Century Design, with highlights ranging from an impressive selection of lamps from Tiffany Studios to 21st Century masterworks.
2006 (est.
$40/60,000) exemplifies the attention to
precision and playful imagery applied to
classical forms that are the hallmarks of Job
Smeets and Nynke Tynagel of Studio Job.
Another work, Chair that Disappears in the
Rain, by Japanese artist Tokujin Yoshioka from
2007 (est. $30/50,000, depicted at right) is made
of glass and Japanese zelkova wood.
With his “Ultimate Art Furniture” series, originally exhibited at Moss in New York in 2006,
contemporary designer Constantin Boym uses the painted
canvas as a new material with which to create furniture.
From this series, Boym’s “Mars and Venus” Chair and
Mirror (est. $40/60,000, pictured at left) incorporates an
exuberant, heartfelt 1980s study of a Baroque religiousthemed masterwork.
This sale also includes a select group of top-caliber and
rare works by Tiffany Studios from private collections.
Highlights from these offerings include a “Magnolia”
Floor Lamp, circa 1915 (est. $700/900,000); a
“Wisteria” Table Lamp, circa 1910, designed by Clara
Driscoll in 1901 (est. $500/700,000, pictured on page 4 at
left); an Important and Rare “Apple Blossom” Table
Lamp, circa 1905 (est. $250/350,000, pictured on page 4
at right); and a Jeweled Dragonfly Table Lamp, circa
1910, on a rare matching mosaic glass and bronze base (est. $200/300,000).
Another magnificent work by Tiffany Glass and
Decorating Company is an Important, Rare and
Monumental Chair, executed circa 1891-1892 (est.
$180/240,000); this work is an early example that
relates to two documented chairs of nearly identical
design for Havemeyer House. Another highlight
from the Aesthetic Movement/American art
nouveau period is a Dining Chair by Herter
Brothers, circa 1881 (est. $80/120,000), made of
carved oak, brass, and tooled and gilded leather,
which was designed for the dining room of the
Cornelius Vanderbildt mansion.
Also included in the auction is a selection of
extraordinary designs by American woodworkers.
A group of 15 works by George Nakashima, the
legendary dean of the American Craft movement,
will be offered from The Collection of Dr. and
Mrs. William Abelove, who acquired pieces from
the artist starting in the 1970s. Highlighting this
collection is an extraordinary Dining Table
Made of English Oak Burl (est. $60/80,000,
pictured on page 5). Also offered is an early group
of Wendell Castle carved wood pieces, four in total,
all dating from mid-1960s. One of these pieces is a
Unique Two-Seat Sofa, dated 1967 (est. $40/60,000), which was acquired directly from the artist
by the present owner. Rare works from California modern craftsmen, such as Arthur Espenet
Carpenter and J.B. Blunk complete this creative section.
