CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.- When Skip Usry of Quinn & Farmer Auctions received a phone call from a client who wanted to sell what was described as a “funny-looking metal desk thingy,” he was curious. As the client went into greater detail about the designs on its doors, Skip’s acted on a hunch and sent Emilia Penney, Quinn & Farmer’s Modern Design Specialist, to get a closer look. Her visit yielded good news: the client had an original sculpture-front cabinet designed and created by Paul Evans.

The cabinet is now the centerpiece of Quinn & Farmer’s December 13, 2014 auction to be held at the company’s gallery in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Ken Farmer, President of Quinn & Farmer Auctions, remarked: “It’s exciting to have this great opportunity to showcase the work of an acknowledged master of modern American design.”

Welded and torch-cut of polychromed steel and bronze, and topped with slate, the cabinet is typical of Evans’ well-known body of work. It carries an estimate of $60,000-$80,000.

Some additional items of notable quality in this auction include an untitled “Sonambient” sculpture by Harry Bertoia, estimated at $8,000-$12,000; a Henry Dutton Morse untitled Nature Morte oil-on-canvas that is expected to bring $3,000-$5,000; and a redwood root coffee table by Mira Nakashima, which carries an estimate of $4,000-$6,000. A fine Aaron Willard tall-case clock is entered with a $3,000-$5,000 estimate, while and an early American shrank expected to achieve $2,000-$3,000.

The December 13, 2014 auction will begin at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time at the Quinn & Farmer Auctions gallery located at 2109 India Road, Charlottesville, VA 22901. All forms of bidding are available, including live online via LiveAuctioneers. View the fully illustrated catalog online at www.quinnfarmer.com or www.liveauctioneers.com .