NEW YORK.- On December 12, 2003, Sotheby’s New York will offer for sale Property from the Collection of Wolfgang Joop, the noted fashion designer and collector of important 20th century design. The sale of approximately 190 lots from Mr. Joop’s homes in New York, Germany and Monaco is expected to bring $2/2.6 million.

Wolfgang Joop began collecting in the field of 20th Century Design more than 15 years ago to furnish his remarkable residences in Monte Carlo, New York, Berlin, Hamburg and Potsdam where modern designs embodying his eclectic vision were installed along with paintings by Tamara de Lempicka, sculptures by Jeff Koons and other avant-garde contemporary art and photography. Mr. Joop was one of the pioneers championing and actively acquiring the work of mid-century French furniture makers and designers such as Jean Royère, Jean Prouvé and Alexandre Noll. Given the breadth and depth of the work of these and other key designers of the period, the present sale provides an extraordinary opportunity for collectors. The sale includes important works from Mr. Joop’s New York apartment, as well as a deaccessioning of rare examples of furniture forms which exist in Mr. Joop’s collection in alternate versions.

Among the highlights to be offered is a unique and specifically-commissioned Jacques Adnet Console for the Office of the President of Sud Aviation, circa 1940s, made of leather and red glass. It is estimated to sell for $60/90,000. Mr. Joop’s collection of lighting and furniture by Jean Royère is astonishing and includes a rare "Liane" Six-Branch Floor Lamp, circa 1950 (est. $40/60,000), and an "Ours Polaire" sofa, circa 1946 which is estimated to sell for $50/70,000.

An important Charlotte Perriand Twin-Pedestal Desk, circa 1958, of a remarkable organic form, is perhaps the finest example of Perriand’s work to be sold at auction in New York (est. $80/120,000). Mr. Joop’s collection of furniture, sculpture and objects by Alexandre Noll is acknowledged to be the finest ever assembled and Sotheby’s is pleased to offer an Important Carved Mahogany Armchair, 1947, estimated to sell for $100/150,000.

The work of Serge Mouille is also featured throughout Mr. Joop’s Collection and two spectacular pieces included in the sale are a five-light appliqué wall light, circa 1950, conceived in black-painted metal (est. $30/40,000) and a three-branch floor lamp, also circa 1950 and constructed of black-painted metal, which is estimated to sell for $18/26,000.

Additional highlights of the sale include a Paco Rabanne leather and metal bedspread from the 1960’s which is  estimated at $3,500/4,500 and an iron and fruitwood screen, 1957, an unusual work by John Risley which is expected to sell for $18/24,000.

Following the overwhelming response to a special exhibition of Wolfgang Joop’s drawings and sketches at Sotheby’s in June, four of the designer’s works will be offered within the single owner sale of his collection of 20th Century design. The proceeds of these works will go to benefit the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR).

Tamara de Lempika - November 5, 2003 - Tamara de Lempicka’s Portrait de Romana de La Salle, executed in 1928, from the Collection of Wolfgang Joop, will be sold in the November 5th evening sale of Impressionist and Modern Art. Estimated at $2/3 million, the painting underscores Lempicka’s predilection for the Art Deco aesthetic of Paris in the 1920s, a style which appealed to the cosmopolitan elite in Europe and the United States. Romana de La Salle was the daughter of Lempicka’s close friend, the Duchesse de La Salle, whose well-known portrait hung in Lempicka’s bedroom on the rue Guy de Maupassant.

Wolfgang Joop - Wolfgang Joop was born in Potsdam, Germany in 1944 and studied Drawing, Sculpture and the Theory of Art before  working as a freelance artist. He was invited to be an honorary professor of Life Drawing and Design at the University of Art in Berlin, and his drawings and paintings are included in the permanent collections of several contemporary art museums, including the Hamburg Museum of Art and Industry which houses over 100 of his works. He began his fashion career working with his former wife and in 1968 the couple was awarded the top three prizes in a design competition sponsored by the magazine "Constanze." In 1987 he founded the fashion company JOOP! which became internationally recognized for its modern and provocative collections and fragrances. This year Mr. Joop launched the Wunderkind Couture label, a luxury, ready-to-wear collection. Mr. Joop has been collecting fine art and antiques for more than forty years and his collection features 20th century works by artists such as Tamara de Lempika, Alexandre Noll, Jeff Koons and Tim Noble & Sue Webster, among others.