Lot 61, music
stand, by Wendell Castle, ebonized oak, brass, 55 1/2 inches high, 1980
By Carter B.
Horsley
This December 13, 2011
auction of Design Masters at Phillips de Pury New York is highlighted
by several spectacular works including a music stand by Wendell Castle,
Lot 61 is a very beautiful and rare music stand of ebonized oak and
brass by Wendell Castle (b. 1932). It is 55 1/2 inches high
and was created in 1980. Mr. Castle is often said to be the
father of the art furniture movement. He is
artist-in-residence at the Rochester Institute of Technology at the
School for American Craftsmen and in1980 he opened the Wendell Castle
School in Scottsville, N.Y. His work is in the Art Institute
of Chicago, theBrooklyn Museum, the High Museum in Atlanta, the
Carnegie Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the
White House. This lot has a modest estimate of $25,000 to
$35,000. It
sold for $31,250 including the buyer's premium as do all results
mentioned in this article.
Lot 75,
"Robber Baron" floor lamp, Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel of
Studio Job, polished and patinated bronze, 63 inches high, 2007, number
one from an edition of 5
The most humorous and one of
the most impressive works in the auction is Lot 75, "Robber Baron"
floor lamp, by Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel of Studio Job. It
is a polished and patinated bronze that is 63 inches high and was
created in 2007 as number one of an edition of five. Studio
Job was formed by Smeets after in graduated in 1998 from the Design
Academy Eindhoven and he was joined by Tynagel after she graduated in
2000. The firm was named best "breakthrough" designers in2005
by Wallpaper Design Awards in London and won two International Elle
Deco Design Awards the following year. It has an estimate of
$100,000 to $150,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot
12, "Perished Table," by Studio Job, macassar ebony, bird's eye maple
inlay, from an edition of six, 30 1/8 by 88 1/2 by 36 1/8 inches, 2006
Lot
12 is a wonderful "Perished Table," by Studio Job made of
macassar
ebony and bird's eye
maple inlay. It is from a 2006 edition of six and
measures 30 1/8 by
88 1/2 by 36 1/8 inches. It has an estimate of $50,000 to
$60,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot 30,
dining table, by Jean Royère, straw marquetry, brass, 29 1/2 by 62 7/8
by 35 3/8 inches, 1953
One
of the most impressive works in the auction is Lot 30, a dining table
by Jean Royère (1902-1981) of brass and straw marquetry that was
created in 1953. It measures 29 1/2 by 62 7/8 by 35 3/8
inches. Not only does it have an exquisite and nicely shaped
top with inlaid stars, but it also has very elegant Art Deco-style
legs. It has an estimate of $220,000 to $320,000. It failed to sell.
Lot
24, "Oeuf" chest, by Jean Royère, ash, ash-veneered wood, fabric,
brass, circa 1958, 37 1/2 by 59 by 19 3/8 inches
Lot
24 is a stunning "Oeuf" chest by Jean Royère (1902-1984) of ash, fabric
and brass. It was created circa 1958 and measures 37 1/2 by
59 by 19
3/8 inches. Royère made his career debut with the design of
"Le
Carlton" restaurant on the Champs-Elysees in Paris and he quickly
became a regular at the major design shows. He emphasized
rich
materials and a wistfulness of design and he was interested in
free-form before World War II. The lot has an estimate of
$120,000 to
$180,000. It
sold for $158,500.
Lot 5,
"Sanso" table with "Conoid" lounge chairs, by George Nakashima, 1987
Lot
5 is a very handsome "Sanso" table with 10 "Conoid" lounge chairs by
George Nakasima (1905-1990). Nakashima was a leading designer
who accepted the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the Emperor of Japan
and the Japanese government. He was born in Spokane and got
an architecture degree from the University of Washington and a master's
degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He
then traveled and went to work for Antonin Raymond in Japan and in 1937
was the primary consutlion consultant for a dormitory for an ashram in
Pondicherry, India where he made his first furniture. During World War
II he was interned in Idaho where he met Gentaro Hikogawa who taught
him traditional Japanese hand tools and joinery techniques
Raymond secured his release and invited him to New Hope,
Pennsylvania and he soon designed furniture lines for Knoll.
In 1973, Nelson Rockefeller commissioned 200 pieces for
Pocantico Hills. His workshop in Takamatsu City, Japan, has a
museum and gallery of his works and he founed in 1984 the Nakashima
Foundation for Peace in the Minguren Museum in New Hope. Made
in 1987, this lot has an estimate of $300,000 to $400,000.
It failed to
sell.
Lot 46, pair
of chairs, stainless steel, by Scott Burton, from an edition of five
pairs, 1988
Lot 46 is a
stunning pair of stainless steel chairs by Scott Burton (1939-1989).
They are from an edition of five pairs created in 1988.
The lot has an estimate of $225.000 to $275,000. It sold for $266,500.
Lot 53,
"Gonse" armchairs, by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, lacquered wood and
fabric, each 29 by 42 by 45 1/4 inches, 1930-2
Lot 53 is a handset pair of
"Gonse" armchairs by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann,1930-2. Each
measures 29 by 42 by 45 1/4 inches. Only three such pairs are
known. The lot has an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000.
It sold for
$1,426,500.
Lot
48, Acrylic table from the Tachibana Restaurant in Shinagawa, Tokyo, by
Shiro Kuramata, 40 1/2 by 157 1/2 by 23 5/8 inches, 1991
Lot 48 is a stunning, orange
acrylic table from
the Tachibana Restaurant in Shinagawa, Tokyo, by Shiro Kuramata
(1934-1991), It is 40 1/2
by 157 1/2 by 23 5/8 inches and was created in 1991. Kuramata was known
for his use of industrial materials such as wire steel mesh and lucite.
It has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $80,500.
Shiro Kuramata (1934–1991) is
one of Japan's
most important designers
of the 20th century. Kuramata was mainly known for his use of
industrial materials such as wire steel mesh and lucite
to create architectural interiors and furniture. Revolutionary
pieces such as the "How High the Moon" chair (1986) reflect the
emerging dynamism
and maturing creativity of postwar Japan, or his Ikabana,
lead cristal free hand blown vase, realized by the Vilca
from Colle Valdelsa (Siena)
Italy,
a unique example of fusion, between oriental and occidental cultures.
In 1990 the French government awarded Kuramata the
distinguished Ordre des Arts et
des Lettres in recognition of his outstanding contribution to
art and design.
Lot
50, "Chop Top Table," by Marc Newson, polished and painted aluminum,
glass, produced by Pod Edition Uk and Galerie kreo, France, number 8
from an edition of 12 plus one prototype, 31
1/2 by 70 7/8 by 38 1/4 inches, circa 2006
One of the
auction's more colorful works is Lot 50,
"Chop Top Table," by Marc Newson (b. 1963), polished and painted
aluminum, glass,
produced by Pod Edition Uk and Galerie kreo, France, number 8 from an
edition of 12 plus one prototype, circa 2006. Known for his
funky and futuristic designs, Newson's first major work was the
"Lockheed Lounge," of 1988 in which he designed a chaise lounge in
a"fluid, metallic form, like a giant blob of mercury."
This table measures 31 1/2 by 70 7/8 by 38 1/4
inches. It has an estimate of $180,000 to $220,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 49, set
of three vases, by Tadao Ando, each 22 1/4 inches high, 2011
Lot 49 is a set
of three beautiful, angled Venini glass vases by Tadao Ando (1921-2011)
that are being sold to benefit his "Requiem Forests" project.
The vases are each 22 1/4 inches high. Mr. Ando won
the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995 and he is known for many
museums such as the The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, Modern Art
Museum of Fort Worth, and Hyogo Prefecture Museum of ArtThe lot has an
estimate of $40,000 to $50,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 3,
"Gitterwerk" basket, sterling silver and ivory, by Josef Hoffmann,
1905, 6 by 8 3/8 inches
Lot 3 is a
lovely "Gitterwerk" sterling silver basket by Josef Hoffmann
(1870-1966). It measures 6 by 8 3/8 inches and was created
circa 1905. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
It failed to
sell.
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