PARIS.- Following the success of the exhibition on the 80’s presented at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs early this year in Paris, Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr is scheduling an auction on the theme of all things 80s, to take place on Thursday 21 September in Paris. The 80’s in France have left their mark on everyone’s mind, be it in music, fashion or history. Indeed, this historic decade resonates in France as a political and artistic turning point in the fields of fashion, design, and graphics, from the election of François Mitterrand in 1981 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Claire Gallois, Director of the Design department at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris, commented: "The 80s, synonymous with form and colour, have been back in the spotlight in recent years, with works by Patrick Nagel, Garouste & Bonetti and Sottsass. This sale will give art lovers the chance to immerse themselves in this colourful, graphic universe. We are also delighted to invite you to a conference on Tuesday 19 September, at which Diane de Beauvau-Craon and Guy Cuevas will talk about their memories of those extraordinary years.”

More than 80 works, including paintings, furniture, and photographs, will be offered at auction, reflecting an era that saw the emergence of new radios and many eclectic artists. The top lot is Untitled (Noble 1982), a painting by American artist and illustrator Patrick Nagel (Estimate: €80,000-120,000). His style is characterized using bright flat colours, minimal detail and clean lines to create stylised representations of women from the 80s. The typical cut of hairs, the shadow eye lines, the glossy lipstick, the geometrical earrings, the oversized blazers, the fingerless gloves and the provocative pose defines an iconic generation of ‘playmate’ and celebrity of the early ‘80s. His mastery of form, colour and composition demonstrates his technical prowess. He is famous for his illustrations for Playboy magazine and the English pop music group Duran Duran, for whom he designed the cover of the best-selling album Rio.

Associated with the figuration libre movement, Robert Combas depicts difficult themes from history and society while playing on humour and colour. En plus, signed and dated 1985, is an acrylic painting on cotton fabric laid on painted canvas (Estimate: €60,000 - €80,000).

• A Tawaraya boxing ring by Umeda Masanori, edited by Memphis, designed in 1981. Estimate: €12,000-€15,000.

• A C-type print mounted in aluminium entitled Feu d'artifice, 1979 by Pierre et Gilles, Estimate: €30,000-€40,000.

• A stamped silver Murmansk cup by Ettore Sottsass, edited by Memphis, designed in 1982. Estimate: €6,000-8,000.

• A wood and polychrome melamine Carlton bookcase by Ettore Sottsass designed in 1981 and edited by Memphis. Estimate: €15,000-25,000.

• A writing desk from the Donau series in anodized metal and wood by Ettore Sottsass & Marco Zanini, circa 1990, production Franz Leitner. Estimate: €4,000-€6,000.

Spine lounge chair by André Dubreuil, designed in 1986. Estimate: €2,500-€3,500.