WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.- After weeks of incessant media coverage, Palm Beach Modern Auctions brought the hammer down on 330 lots in a January 17 Modern Design & Luxury Goods Auction that grossed more than $900,000 (inclusive of after-sales and 22% buyer’s premium). The allure of the auction’s core contents –premier examples of midcentury designer furnishings – was further enhanced by a selection of Kennedy family photos and correspondence handwritten by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Offered in 20 consecutive lots, the Onassis grouping consisted primarily of original photographs taken by Palm Beach society photographer Robert Davidoff (1926-2004) and archival notes – some with hand-drawings – that Onassis sent to two designers whom she counted as close friends. One of the recipients was Bill Hamilton, longtime design director for Carolina Herrera, who dressed Jackie Onassis almost exclusively from the mid 1980s until her passing in 1994. The other was interior decorator Richard Keith Langham, who designed rooms in several Kennedy/Onassis residences.

“Long before the auction began, we knew that, on the basis of absentee bids alone, all of the Jackie Onassis lots would sell,” said PBMA auctioneer and co-owner Rico Baca. “Even without the additional competition that we felt would come during the sale, each lot had already met its reserve and then some.”

The top “Jackie” lot was an original edition of The White House, a book that Onassis had personally signed and gifted to Langham. The inscription reads: “For Richard – Perhaps this great house will know your touch one day – Your friend Jacqueline Kennedy.” With expectations of selling for $800-$1,200, it was bid to $4,575 over the phone.

Of the photographs taken by Davidoff, a lot consisting of two silver gelatin prints of Onassis in smart, casual attire led the pack at $2,200. An unusual bonus, said Baca, was that all of the Davidoff prints, which came directly from the late photographer’s estate, conveyed with copyright.

“There was an incredible amount of media interest in the Onassis material. Associated Press ran a story that appeared in hundreds of newspapers, followed by a video feature on CBS This Morning. After that, it was off to the races. The energy level felt very much like the Steve Rubell/Studio 54 auction we conducted two years ago,” said Baca.

The auction was a standing-room-only event. “All seats were taken, and people were even watching from outside the exhibition center. Those who had come just for the Onassis lots became intrigued by the modern furniture and art. Many of them stayed for the remainder of the sale. We had a very nice complimentary catered buffet available for all guests – I’m sure that was an incentive, too,” Baca said with a laugh.

The auction’s top lot was a 21.5-inch-tall nude bronze by Georg Kolbe (1877-1947), the leading German sculptor of his generation. Because so many of Kolbe’s works were seized and melted down for Nazi war armaments, his sculptures are in high demand, and not just in Germany, where the bronze that sold in the auction will soon reside. Kolbe artworks are held in museum collections across Europe, the United States and Russia.

“Two German bidders and an American were very eager to win the bronze, which had a Berlin foundry mark. One of the Germans won it for $56,120,” said Baca.

There was intense interest in sculptures throughout. Two consecutive works by Minoru Niizuma (Japanese, 1930-1998) sold for $9,760 and $10,980, respectively. Within the fine art subcategory, the most sought-after work was a monumental Pace Editions Jean Dubuffet (French, 1901-1985) lithograph titled Parcours. Against an estimate of $6,000-$8,000, it realized $9,150.

“There were no weak categories in the sale at all – American, Danish, Italian, paintings – everything was strong,” Baca said.

A monumental Italian starburst or “Sputnik” chandelier launched into orbit with an opening bid of $9,000 and eventually settled at $18,000; while a Joseph D’urso coffee table swept past its $3,000-$5,000 estimate to garner $7,320. A set of Afra & Tobia Scarpa chairs exceeded high estimate at $10,370, and a grid-like coffee table attributed to Gio Ponti met expectations with a winning bid of $10,370. Other furniture highlights included an Ico Parisi dining table, $6,100; a pair of Billy Haines slipper chairs, $5,185; and the top furniture lot: a Wendell Castle Parallelogram coffee table, $19,520.

PBMA’s first-ever offering of luxury goods and handbags was a big hit with the Palm Beach crowd and fashionistas worldwide. A classic Hermes Kelly Birkin travel bag was claimed for $10,370; while an intricately fashioned, crystal-beaded Coppola E Toppo for Valentino choker was bid to $7,930.

Architectural Digest Editor Emeritus and Palm Beach resident Paige Rense Noland purchased the only classic car entered in the sale – a pristine 1956 red Ford Thunderbird convertible – for $43,920, then promptly donated it to the Humane Society of the United States. “She wants the charity to use it any way they desire to benefit animals in need. This gesture is so typical of her and her never-ending generosity,” Baca said.

The majority of the 1,100 bidders registered for the sale were online participants, Baca confirmed. In total, 122 lots sold online through LiveAuctioneers.

“There were 602 approved registered bidders through LiveAuctioneers, and they placed 338 live online bids during the sale. But what really shocked us was the more than $500,000 in absentee bids that came to us through LiveAuctioneers. We had never before experienced such a high absentee total,” Baca said.

Another factor directly attributable to the sale’s success was underbidders. “The underbidder should never be underestimated,” Baca said. “When we began our business, we had no idea how important underbidders were, but it took only one auction for us to figure that out, and that's what the Internet does for us – it brings us the underbidders.”

Baca said many auction records were set for individual artists during his company’s January 17, 2015 sale. “We think we’ve found the right formula in terms of what we sell and how we market and present it. Bidders are excited, and our consignors are really happy. That’s what every auction house strives for.”