LOS ANGELES, CA.- Bonhams, the third largest international fine art auction house, achieved phenomenal prices for works from the Collection of Dorothy Weiss in its 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction on April 16th in Los Angeles.
The top selling highlights were from the pioneering art of Peter Voulkos. His five ceramic works far exceeded their pre-sale estimates to achieve a combined total of over $160,000. Voulkos' works were only a few of many artists' ceramics and glass featured in the Weiss collection. In addition, Jun Kaneko's "Dango" sold for an impressive amount of $27,500. In the end, only three items of the collection remained unsold as the auction experienced high levels of spirited bidding by nearly 300 registered bidders from 14 different countries. The Collection of Dorothy Weiss reached a sales total in excess of $433,000.
The auction as a whole witnessed total sales of $1.6 million with 80% of lots sold and almost 90% of lots sold by value. Other highlights included Dale Chihuly's "Zinnia Red Persian Wall Installation," 2000 (sold for $68,750) as well as a selection of five rare 1950s lighting designs by seminal French designers Serge Mouille and Boris Lacroix, which achieved a combined total of over $100,000. Other mid-century design highlights included a limited edition bronze and enameled steel Les Monts de Vénus table by Belgian designer Ado Chale, circa 1975 (sold for $37,500), and the "Sonambient Sound Sculpture" by Harry Bertoia, which far exceeded its estimate to achieve $60,000.
Bonhams also sold all ten items of furniture by renowned designer Sam Maloof, making a total sale of $136,500. Early 20th century design masterpieces included a wrought-iron and Daum Nancy glass Ginkgo lamp by influential French art deco designer Edgar Brandt, which found its new owner for $35,000, and a Tiffany Studios patinated bronze and Favrile glass Moorish chandelier sold for $46,250. Overall, prices were strong across all areas, reflecting continued strength in the market for choice examples of design from all periods.
Director of 20th Century Decorative Arts in Bonhams Los Angeles, Daniel Tolson comments, "These results not only confirm our domination of the market for works by West Coast artists and designers, but also underline our consistently achieving exceptional prices for masterworks of international design. We look forward to building on this success for our fall auction, which leads with a selection of furniture by architect R.M. Schindler."
The department is now accepting consignments for its next 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction in October at Bonhams Los Angeles.
