The Sotheby’s Important Design auction took place in New York on Tuesday and featured some truly exceptional pieces. Here were some of the highlights.
A rare chair
Severe geometric forms were a signature of the famed Scottish architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh. This exceptionally rare side chair was commissioned for the White Bedroom of Hous’hill in Glasgow, one of Mackintosh’s most famous projects, circa 1904, and is crafted from ebonised sycamore with a canvas upholstery seat.
• Charles Rennie Mackintosh side chair, sold for US$576,500 (Dh2.1 million)
Ship shape
The auction was led by the sale of eight panels that once adorned the grand salon of the SS Normandie. The legendary but ultimately ill-fated ocean liner entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship on the seas, and was famed for her lavish interiors. The aforementioned panels were crafted by French artist Jean-Théodore Dupas and acquired in 1981 by Malcolm Forbes. They went on to be the centrepiece of the main entrance of the Forbes Galleries on Fifth Avenue in New York for close to 30 years.
• Panels from the Birth of Aphrodite mural, sold for $1,392,500 (Dh5.1 million)
Light relief
This floor lamp by Flavio Poli was designed in 1958 for the XXIX Biennale in Venice. Poli was an Italian artist best known for his work with glass, which here is combined with steel to create a vibrant 109.2-centimetre-high floor lamp. Poli’s original drawing was sold along with the lamp.
• Flavio Poli floor lamp, unsold
Sheep shape
Best known for his surreal animal sculptures, François-Xavier Lalanne produced objects that blurred the distinction between fine and decorative art. He rejected the abstract styles popular in the mid-20th century and instead focused on creating vivid representations of the natural world. Mouton Transhumant, which is made from epoxy stone and patinated bronze, is an obvious case in point. This particular piece is No 100 in a limited edition of 250.
• Mouton Transhumant, sold for $187,500 (Dh689,000)
Surreal steel
The fluid, sculptural lines of the Lectori Salutem desk belie the fact that it is crafted from stainless steel, traditionally a most rigid of materials. The piece was designed in 2010 by Dutch designer Jeroen Verhoeven, co-founder of the Demakersvan design house. It is No 3 in a limited edition of 10.
• Lectori Salutem, sold for $187,500 (Dh689,000)
