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Christie's 20th Century Decorative Art & Design Sale on April 7th

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Written by rubin   
Wednesday, 11 March 2009 06:40

Sushi Sofa (estimate: £80,000-100,000) by Humberto & Fernando Campana, 2003. - Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2009

LONDON - Showcasing a century of visionary creativity and experimentation full of character and charm, through to the cutting edge chic of contemporary works, Christie’s auction of 20th Century Decorative Art & Design will be held on Tuesday 7 April 2009. This carefully edited sale features over 100 lots, each exemplifying strong aesthetic appeal, historical significance, good provenance and excellent condition, with estimates ranging from £3,000 to £300,000. Tracing the decades and styles that captivated generations and continue to inspire to this day, this sale follows the international success of works in the category offered from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, in Paris, which realised £52.6 million and set 12 new artists records,

Highlights range from 40 stunning glass vases by Emile Gallé, Gabriel Argy-Rousseau and Daum Frères, from a private European collection, to furnishings designed by the Italian luminary Giò Ponti and an outstanding group of limited edition works by Marc Newson and Ron Arad, which characterise the progressive tendencies that inaugurated the new Century. These include many of the top lots of the sale and are led by Newson’s Orgone Chair, 1999 (estimate: £200,000-300,000).

Art Deco (1925-1939) - A glorious array of seven Art Deco sculptures, by Demetre Chiparus, Professor Otto Poertzel, Maurice Rivière and Claire-Jean Roberte Colinet, dazzle with detail and glamour. They are led by Chiparus’s Leotard Dancer, circa 1928 (estimate: £80,000-120,000) and Civa, circa 1928 (estimate: £70,000-90,000). Leotard Dancer, illustrated right, is particularly rare, with only two others known to exist. The lot offered in this sale is numbered ‘1’ and may have been the first to be executed.

Newson’s Orgone Chair, 1999 (estimate: £200,000-300,000) Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2009Giò Ponti is recognised to be one of the most influential Italian architects, industrial designers and furniture designers of the twentieth century. Christie’s are pleased to present five superb lots, which epitomise the powerful linearity of his work and were designed as the furnishings for the legal office of Luigi Licitra. An office suite, circa 1950 (estimate: £20,000-30,000) comprises a stunning desk, two wall mounted cabinets, a wall panel with brass hook and three side chairs; a suite of striking white reception furnishings (estimate: £5,000-8,000); a shelving suite, circa 1950 (estimate: £4,000-6,000); two ceiling lights, circa 1950 (estimate: £3,000-5,000); a writing desk and chair, circa 1950 (estimate: £5,000-8,000) and ten pairs of brass door handles which were designed in 1955 and manufactured by Olivari, all provide a rare opportunity for private collectors and institutions.

Decorative beauty and whimsical intrigue are important qualities for any collection to possess, as they bring pleasure and inspiration which are central to the spirit of collecting. A Jaguar display model, 1938 (estimate: £4,000-6,000) by Frederick Gordon Crosby, an artist and sculptor who designed numerous car mascots and emblems, highlights the lasting impact that design can have. This leaping jaguar mascot, originally designed for SS Cars Ltd a company who were renamed Jaguar Cars in 1945, has endured as one of the most iconic symbols of the post-war British Automobile industry.

The Contemporary Design section concludes the sale and the century with a bang. Marc Newson and Ron Arad have redefined the boundaries of modern design and Christie’s are pleased to present important works including a Pod of Drawers (estimate: £150,000-250,000) and Orgone Chair (estimate: £200,000-300,000) by Newson and a Europa Settee (estimate: £100,000-150,000) by Arad, alongside unique prototype works by Tom Dixon such as Pylon table, 2007 (estimate: £10,000-15,000).

Marc Newson’s Pod of Drawers, was designed in 1987 and subsequently produced in a limited edition of 12. Unusually, for a young designer at time, Newson chose to interpret the cabinetry and surface treatments of the French early Art Deco creators, in particular the work of André Groult. It is this synthesis of the Antique with the Modern that infuses Newson's early experimental creations with their magnetism. The Pod of Drawers, together with the Lockheed Lounge of 1986 (sold at Christie’s London on October 2007 for £748,500), inaugurated an aesthetic of visual weightlessness and metallic futurism that asserted Newson's prominence at the vanguard of contemporary design. Both designs were conceived as visions that would be sheathed entirely in a seamless surface of aluminium, an impression that Newson would be able to fully realise with the Orgone series of 1993. The futuristic Orgone Chair offered in this sale is number five from an edition of six. Both Arad’s Europa Setee (estimate: £100,000-150,000) and the Two Legs and a Table (estimate: £50,000 – 80,000) are futuristic in their forms. Another highlight, Sushi Sofa (estimate: £80,000-100,000), by Humberto & Fernando Campana, 2003, adds an infectious injection of multi-colours, which draws inspiration from Brazillian Street Life. It is number one from an edition of seven.

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