LONDON, ENGLAND.- In the wake of the enormous success of Gordon Watson’s single-owner sale at New Bond Street in May of this year, Sotheby’s is now delighted to announce that it will be offering for sale a further selection of approximately 450 lots from his collection at its Olympia saleroom in West London on Thursday, October 26, 2006. The Olympia single-owner sale will feature a diverse mix of items which reflect Gordon’s individual, up-to-the-minute style and very excitingly, and uniquely, all items will be sold without reserve. The sale will offer an unprecedented opportunity to acquire pieces which are both highly desirable and affordable. It will be the first sale at Sotheby’s Olympia in which all items will be sold without reserve. Estimates will range from £50-£5,000.

The Gordon Watson: The End of a Chapter sale at New Bond Street in May of this year was hugely successful. More than 88% of the sale was sold by value, generating a total in excess of £2million and handsomely exceeding the pre-sale high estimate. The sale showed that Gordon’s taste matches perfectly with the clean, spare style of today. Gordon’s collection of Contemporary Art also sold well in the June Contemporary Art sale at Olympia, realising a total of £347,000. Jeremy Morrison, Head of Decorative Arts and Design, Sotheby’s London, commented: “Gordon has an unerring eye for the bold and the beautiful and this clearly caught the imagination of both private collectors and interior decorators and designers in May and June. The results were a true testament to Gordon’s sense of style and we are absolutely delighted to be working with him again in this unique single-owner sale at Olympia. The sale will offer wonderful objects with which to decorate a home, at very affordable prices – it’s a one-off opportunity.” Commenting on his second sale at Sotheby’s, Gordon Watson added: “I’m a compulsive buyer and am always buying beyond my needs. It’s now time to readdress this balance though and it’s great to know that everything will be owned by people who enjoy my style.”

Gordon Watson is an arbiter of taste and for 27 years his Fulham Road gallery has been a well-known landmark in London’s art world. Gordon’s passion for collecting was born in childhood and as early as 11-years-old his instinct for shape, style and a good deal was already developing. This passion was the foundation of his highly successful shop and business on the Fulham Road and it has never diminished. His shop became synonymous with cutting edge style and as a result was a magnet for celebrities and high profile names - in Gordon’s own words, “the shop became the chicest club in town.” Clients from all corners of the world visited, eager to buy into Gordon’s distinctive technique, which involves mixing complementary styles and unique pieces and overlaying times and periods.

Gordon’s tastes have developed and expanded over the years and his magpie attention has moved from one idea and period to another. With this constant flux in his tastes and collecting passions, the nature of his personal collection and the Fulham Road gallery’s stock changed too, moving on decade by decade. Hence the intriguing and diverse collection of items on offer.

The majority of the 450 lots on offer in the Olympia sale will again trace the course of postwar 20th century Decorative Arts and Design – Gordon’s principal collecting field. An array of fabulous furniture, lighting and works of art will be presented and notable highlights will include a pair of oak and leather Spanish chairs by Borge Mogensen (est: £1,500-£2,500), a Swedish walnut veneered console table (est: £1,800-£2,200), a textured glass coffee table (est: £300-£400), a pair of Gio Ponti armchairs (est: £3,000-£4,000), a French ‘faux bamboo’ gilt metal coffee table (est: £2,500-£350), two John Ffrench bowls (est: £400-£600) and a pair of marble vases (est: £300-£400). Complementing the Decorative Arts, will be various pieces of jewellery and a small selection of North African textiles and Contemporary Art. The most significant lots among the jewellery on offer will be ruby, sapphire, amethyst, ametrine, smokey quartz and sapphire bead necklaces which have estimates in the low hundreds, Cartier cufflinks and fashion pieces such as gem-set cuffs and bangles by Trianon in the 1980s. An interesting and varied collection of cufflinks, dress sets and cigarette cases dating from the 1920s will also feature. Items will again be from the style authority’s home, gallery and stores and everything must be sold.