CHICAGO, IL.- Dedicated to the most influential and important designs of the 20th century, Design is a celebration of visionary creators from across the globe. From iconic standards to one-of-a-kind works, this highly vetted auction brings together the quality craftsmanship and ambitious vision that defined the past 100 years and continues to shape the way we live today.
Highlights include a Carlo Mollino Unique Copenhagen chair, a Shiro Kuramata Feather stool, works by Fernando and Humberto Campana, a Rei floor lamp by Studio Wieki Somers, sculpture by Harry Bertoia, designs by George Nakashima, Ettore Sottsass, Gio Ponti, Jean Prouvé, Pierre Jeanneret, and even a First-generation iPhone!
Two historic works by leading Italian architect Carlo Mollino will be offered during Design on March 30th. In December 1951, Carlo Mollino was invited to take part in Kunsthåndværkets forårsudstilling, the Spring Arts and Crafts Exhibition organized by the Danish Arts and Crafts Society, to be held in Copenhagen in 1952. Mollino enthusiastically accepted and proposed exhibiting a new type of chair in "continuous plywood" that he would create specifically for the occasion. The result would become known as Mollino's Copenhagen chair (Lot 209; $200,000–300,000) and only one of these innovative, sculptural seating forms was ever made. The other Mollino example in the auction is an Important coffee table, model 1114 (Lot 211; $50,000–75,000), which was commissioned by Singer & Sons in 1950, but very few were ever produced.
The sale also features impressive designs by other modern Italian figures, such as Pietro Chiesa, Ettore Sottsass, Gio Ponti, Carlo de Carli, Gianfranco Fini, and Gino Sarfatti. Along with Chiesa's 1938 Cabinet in mirrored crystal and bronze for Fontana Arte (Lot 213; $50,000–70,000), the auction boasts two colorful, architectural works by Sottsass: a Mobile bar created for The Gallery Mourmans in Maastricht, Netherlands in 1994 (Lot 269; $30,000–50,000); and a red glazed ceramic Vase, model Y37 from the Yantra series, produced by Bitossi for Design Centre/Poltronova in 1969 (Lot 210; $10,000–15,000).
Japan's Shiro Kuramata, who helped found the Memphis Group with Sottsass in the late-1980s, has two boldly transparent designs in the auction on March 30th. One is an acrylic Feather stool (Lot 268; $40,000–60,000) cast with a trio of feathers suspended within its structure; the other is a sharp-angled Glass chair (Lot 266; $30,000–50,000), an example of which is fittingly part of the permanent collection of the Corning Museum of Glass. From the Dutch Studio Wieki Somers, a Japanese-inspired Rei floor lamp (Lot 274; $20,000–30,000) is available that takes its name from one of the seven tenets of samurai code, in this case, for "the right action." Numerous striking designs by Japanese-American studio craft woodworker George Nakashima are also part of the sale, including an elegantly contoured Slab coffee table (Lot 317; $25,000–35,000), as well as an Isamu Noguchi Rudder stool, model IN-22 (Lot 204; $20,000–30,000) for Herman Miller.
While Design showcases the potential of wood, glass, and acrylic, the auction also has a stunning selection of modern and contemporary metalwork. There are seven different Harry Bertoia works on offer, including some of his iconic Sonambient and Spray examples. One of Bertoia's Sonambient sculptures in beryllium copper and naval bronze is truly Monumental (Lot 206; $100,000–150,000), standing over fifteen feet tall. Another Bertoia sculpture is a Multi-Plane Construction (Lot 208; $40,000–60,000), composed of melt-coated brass over steel with applied patina.
In addition to the Bertoia works, the sale contains Brazilian brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana's Unique Flama chair (Lot 284; $30,000–50,000), which evokes a postmodern, surrealist fantasy. Marc Newson's nickel-plated bronze Random Pak Twin sofa (Lot 275; $30,000–50,000) and Paul Evans' torch-cut, blackened and polychromed steel Coffee table (Lot 313; $10,000–15,000) both gesture toward the intricacy of organic forms. Jean Prouvé's Bench from the Électricité de France, Marcoule (Lot 345; $20,000–30,000) has a sleek yet sophisticated lacquered steel frame. Finally, Margaret De Patta's Necklace pendant in sterling silver and stone works through subtle geometric abstraction (Lot 267; $10,000–15,000).
The auction on March 30th also has an extremely rare, factory sealed Apple Inc. First-generation iPhone, model A1203, from 2007 (Lot 203; $40,000–60,000). This was the first smartphone to be offered by Apple, which ushered in a new era in digital communication through an artful blend of form and function. Wright received this piece of recent design history via Donald Gajadhar of Fox-White Art & Antique Appraisals. "[It] slowly dawned on me when I held [this] boxed Apple cellphone," says Gajadhar, "my client not only had an unopened cellphone, but a truly unique version. A Willy Wonka, ‘24 karat' Golden Ticket." Indeed, the original plastic wrap covering the box bears an upside-down Apple logo sticker with the words "Lucky you." Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 1 was named 2007 Invention of the Year by TIME magazine. It was followed with the release of the iPhone 3G on June 9, 2008—and the iPhone 1 was officially discontinued just over a month later, on July 15th. The rest, as they say, is history.
