NEW YORK.- On December 17, 2004 Sotheby's will offer for sale The Collection of Barry Friedman Ltd., a single-owner sale focusing on pre-war French, Austrian and Swedish furniture and decorative arts, which will be sold without reserve. Important designs by André Arbus, Jacques Adnet, Gilbert Poillerat, Daum, Josef Hoffmann, Carl Malmsten, Axel Einer Hjort and Gustav Bergström, among others will be included in the offering of approximately 250 items.

For the past thirty-five years, Barry Friedman has been an important presence in the world of historical works of the twentieth century -- exhibiting and selling Avant-garde paintings from the 1910's, 1920's and 30's; works on paper, sculpture, contemporary painting; as well as vintage and contemporary photography; European decorative arts including Art Nouveau, French furniture and objects of the 1920's, 30's and 40's, Wiener Werkstätte, and Bauhaus. Landmark exhibitions presented by Barry Friedman Ltd. have included: Fernand Khnopff and the Belgian Avant-garde; Tamara de Lempicka; Bernard Boutet de Monvel; Mackintosh to Mollino: Fifty Years of Chair Design; The Bauhaus: Masters & Students; Gerrit Rietveld: A Centenary Exhibition; Design Italian Style (furniture of Carlo Mollino and Carlo Graffi and Italian glass from Murano), and numerous important photography exhibitions.

In the past seven years, Barry Friedman Ltd. has moved forward into the field of contemporary decorative arts, and Mr. Friedman has decided to divest himself of most of his pre-war holdings. "After more than 35 years in the business, with a passion for Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Modernist design, I am pleased to pass this collection on to a new and younger generation of collectors. I will continue to collect in these fields, concentrating on museum quality masterpieces. In addition, we are enthusiastically looking forward to expanding our interest in cutting-edge contemporary furniture and objects," commented Mr. Friedman.

The December auction represents the second time that Sotheby's has had the privilege of offering works from Mr. Friedman's collection. Sotheby's New York held the sale 20th Century Design: The Collection of Barry Friedman Ltd. in 1992.

James Zemaitis, Senior Vice President and Director of Sotheby's 20th Century Design Department, said, "In a rare move, Mr. Friedman has decided to offer his collection without reserve, and we anticipate the sale will generate intense interest among collectors in this field as well as among dealers, architects and interior decorators as an unreserved sale presents unparalleled opportunities to acquire works from this esteemed collection."

A strong section devoted to Austrian design will feature iconic furniture and objects by Josef Hoffmann, Kolomon Moser, Otto Wagner and other contributors to the Vienna Secession. Since the creation of the Neue Galerie in New York, and with major public collections in Vienna, this important period of collaboration between artists, architects and craftsmen has become appreciated by an ever- widening public. Included in the offering is a fine example of Josef Hoffmann's iconic Sitzmaschine produced by the Austrian firm of Jacob & Josef Kohn circa 1905. This beechwood chair, which demonstrates Hoffmann's preference for geometric forms, is estimated to sell for $12/18,000.

The sleek elegance and refined taste of French furniture is best seen in examples by Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann (the subject of a recent exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art), André Arbus, Gilbert Poillerat, Jean Pascaud and Jacques Quinet. The collection of Arbus furniture and carpets is perhaps the finest survey of the designer to appear at auction, and among the highlights is a unique sycamore and bronze Console Table dating to circa 1948 that is pictured in Yvonne Brunhammer's book on the designer. Also included is an oak and silvered bronze Sideboard by Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, circa 1925, which is expected to sell for $60/80,000 and a nickel-plated metal and glass Floor Lamp by Maison Desny, circa 1929-30, estimated to bring $30/50,000.

This auction will also be the first in the United States to feature a strong grouping of Swedish Neo-Classical furniture from 1925-1930, the years in which Swedish Neo-Classical furniture reached its height. The sumptuous combination of different woods and the exquisite quality of the wood inlay, a signature of this period, is unsurpassed. The Swedish Pavilions of the Paris Exhibition of 1925 and the International Exhibition in Barcelona 1929 received worldwide attention and won prizes for Sweden's top designer/architects, in particular Carl Malmsten, Axel Einar Hjort and Carl Bergsten. Hjort won accolades for his interior design and furniture at the Barcelona exhibition. Included in the auction is Hjort's Secretaire in burled mahogany, circa 1925, which is expected to bring $15/20,000. In 1927, the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibited the works of major Swedish architects and furniture-makers in an exhibition titled 'Swedish Grace'. Included in the exhibition, were a pair of columns by Olof Hult, similar to the Pair of "Mikrokosmos" Urns on Columns included in the December auction, circa 1922, which are estimated to sell for $8/12,000. An additional Swedish highlight is Gustav Bergström's Cabinet, circa 1928, constructed of elm, sycamore, birch and mahogany, which is estimated to sell for $8/12,000.