Studio B.B.P.R., Ceiling light, model no. 2045/p, from the Jane and Gerald Gidwitz residence, Highland Park, Illinois, circa 1962. Design New York.
The diversity of works on offer in our upcoming design sale presents an opportunity to consider a wide range of makers who worked across varied materials, locations, time periods, and social and cultural contexts. What is particularly striking is the depth with which the selection presents these broad approaches.
Below, we highlight a few categories in order to investigate this selection. Visit our New York gallery at 432 Park Avenue through 8 June to discover these remarkable connections firsthand.
Art Nouveau
Louis Majorelle, "La Cascade" cabinet, circa 1899. Design New York.
Photography by Clément Pascal.
Among the most striking aspects of the selection is an important group of French Art Nouveau lighting and furniture from a private collection. These pieces present some of the most desirable designs by key French designers at the turn of the 20th century, with many of the designs included in various world expositions. These works by designers Daum Frères, Louis Majorelle, Émile Gallé, Eugène Gaillard, and Georges de Feure are superlative examples of the movement.
Daum Frères and Louis Majorelle, "Nénuphar" table lamp, circa 1903. Design New York.
Key highlights range from Daum Frères’ and Louis Majorelle’s “Nénuphar” table lamp — a stunning table lamp in the form of a water lily — to Louis Majorelle’s elegently ornamented “La Cascade” cabinet. These two dynamic pieces in particular showcase the genre’s penchant for representing the natural world, use of modern materials, and exquisite craftsmanship. Phillips’ styling and photography of this group at Studio Giancarlo Valle offers a fresh take on how Art Nouveau works can be recontextualized in a contemporary interior.
From Coast to Coast
Harry Bertoia, Untitled (Sonambient), circa 1976. Design New York.
American design features prominently in the sale, showcasing a range of important designers from both coasts. Desirable works from Delaware Valley modernists include the monumental “Sculpture Front” panel by Paul Evans, which comes from a private collection and is exceedingly rare due to the gilt and painted steel decorations on both sides. Other artists in the sale from this region include the renowned Harry Bertoia (the prodigious Sonambient comes from the distinguished collection of Gabriele & Robert Lee) and George Nakashima. The three works by Nakashima — a set of eight “New” dining chairs, a “Frenchman’s Cove II” dining table, and a two door cabinet — all come from the same private collection in Houston, Texas. Remarkably, they’ve remained in the same family since their direct acquisition from the designer’s studio in the 1960s.
George Nakashima, Two-door cabinet, 1962. Design New York.
Doyle Lane, Clay painting, circa 1965. Design New York.
Turning to the West Coast, the sale offers work by the pioneering Black ceramicist Doyle Lane. Available are not only two of his weed pots, but Phillips offers one of his clay paintings for the first time — the two areas for which Doyle is most well-known.
Doyle Lane, Weed pot, circa 1970 and Weed pot, circa 1970. Design New York.
I think the best way to seek fame is not to seek it, and to do just what you have to do—or can do—and let it go at that. To be spiritual is to be balanced.
—Doyle Lane
A Brazilian Quintet
José Zanine Caldas, Rare dining table, 1977. Design New York.
The sale also features works by perhaps the five most important figures in 20th century Brazilian design. A standout is a rare dining table by José Zanine Caldas with exceptional provenance. The table was acquired directly from the designer in 1977 by the Brazilian art dealer Bruno Musatti and his wife, artist Jeanete Musatti. It was held in their collection until 2020, when it was acquired by the current owner. Further remarkable works of Brazilian design on offer include a pair of “Girafa” chairs by Lina Bo Bardi, a sofa and pair of armchairs by Joaquim Tenreiro, the “Mucki” bench by Sergio Rodrigues, and a side table by Martin Eisler.
Joaquim Tenreiro, Sofa and pair of armchairs, circa 1960. Design New York.
Italian Design in America
Gio Ponti, Pair of wall lights, from the Time & Life Building, New York, circa 1959. Design New York.
The influence of Italian design flourished in the United States in the 1950s and ‘60s. Countless Italian designers collaborated with U.S. based manufacturers and exhibitions highlighting Italian design popped up across the country, including Italy at Work at the Brooklyn Museum. A selection in the sale represents works that are a direct response to this influence or showcase the ways that Italian design became prevalent in the U.S. during the post war period.
One of the most exciting lots of this group is a pair of rare wall lights designed circa 1959 by Gio Ponti for the auditorium of the Time & Life Building in New York City. A exceptionally rare and exciting offering, this pair of lights has never come to auction before. Additionally, a remarkable ceiling light designed by Studio B.B.P.R. is on offer. The original owners were important modern art and design collectors in Illinois and this is representative of their incredible taste. The work has remained installed in a Highland Park home since the early 1960s. A Gio Ponti desk, designed for the Altamira showroom in New York, is representative of an example of the numerous works Ponti created for the American market.
Gio Ponti, Desk, designed for the Altamira showroom, New York, circa 1953. Design New York.
Women’s Voices
Joyce Anderson and Edgar Anderson, Wall-mounted cabinet, 1960s. Design New York.
Phillips is also pleased to offer magnificent works by three key women makers for the first time — a walnut cabinet with an inlaid stone mosaic top by New Jersey-based woodworker Joyce Anderson and her husband Edgar Anderson, two knotted linen works by textile artist Diane Itter, and a coat rack in stainless steel by Gloria Kisch. Additionally, the sale features several works from an interior designed by Muriel Brandolini, who is known for her eclectic and playful interiors.
Uncover More
In addition to these categories the sale flourishes with many other designers and aesthetic movements, including French pre- and post-war design as well as Scandianavian design. Additional works by three ceramicists who explored the formal possibilities of the clay medium at the turn of the 21st century — Gaert Lap, Bodil Manz, and Babs — carry the remarkable historical reach of this selection head-on to the present moment.
Discover More from Design New York >
Recommended Reading
Double Coded: Glenn Adamson explores a "Sculpture Front" screen by Paul Evans >
A Bold New Brilliance: Electric Art Nouveau Lighting >