February 2009 - Page 7 of 8 - Auction Central News

Ward Bennett: The designer’s designer

Ward Bennett with his 1968 Scissor Chair, a popular design manufactured by Brickel, said to be his most comfortable chair. Shown here in wood and leather, the Scissor is also manufactured in steel. Image courtesy of Sollo Rago Modern Auctions.

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BY SUSAN BRANDABUR
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Ward Bennett with his 1968 Scissor Chair, a popular design manufactured by Brickel, said to be his most comfortable chair.
Shown here in wood and leather, the Scissor is also manufactured in steel. Image courtesy of Sollo Rago Modern Auctions.

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A name to look for in postwar American design on the secondary market is Ward Bennett.

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His furniture and objects have a subtlety of line and richness of materials that give them a timeless presence. Bennett is hailed by other designers as an enormous influence (among his assistants was design star Joe D’Urso), and he received honors that included a place in Interior Design Magazine’s Hall of Fame, but so far there has not a published monograph devoted to his work.

Bennett designed furniture, glassware (Tiffany, Sasaki), lighting (Harry Gitlin) and metalwork (Tiffany and Supreme Cutlery), as well as houses (including several residences for publisher Jann Wenner and his own small weekend house in Amagansett). He also created interiors for clients like the Agnellis and the Rockefellers. He was in-house designer for the American furniture company Brickel beginning in 1964 and for Geiger – the company that purchased Brickel – beginning in 1987. Geiger still manufactures Bennett’s designs.

A set of 12 Ward Bennett armchairs with steel frames, leather arm panels, adjustable backs and custom French gaufrage fabric. Image courtesy of Sollo Rago Modern Auctions.

Timothy deFiebre was Ward Bennett’s assistant in the 1980s and is now the primary custodian of the designer’s legacy. He believes a confluence of factors may have contributed to Bennett’s relative obscurity outside of interior design circles.

Bennett was born into a poor family in Manhattan’s Washington Heights and went to work at the age of 13 in the garment industry. Prodigiously gifted, he tried his hand at fashion illustration, window design, millinery, jewelry and sculpture, even studying with Constantin Brancusi in Paris as a youth, before gaining prominence as a designer of objects and interiors.

A Ward Bennett two-tier marble console with steel frame. Image courtesy of Sollo Rago Modern Auctions.

“Having once been poor, when he began to make money as a designer Ward did not devote a lot of attention to creating an archive,” said deFiebre. “Also, because he was self taught, his design methods did not lend themselves to conventional documentation.”
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The Banker Series for Brickel from 1980 is a good encapsulation of Bennett’s style and is one of the series most admired by interior designers. The curving lines evoke a traditional design, but the pieces are very simple and pared down to a modernist minimum. In a popular fabrication, warm cherrywood frames are contrasted with sleek black leather upholstery; Bennett was known for his juxtapositions of industrial materials with organic ones. His I-beam-shape table base anticipated the high-tech movement.

One of Ward Bennett's designs for Sasaki, a thick-walled black glass vase, its rim etched with circles, squares, and triangles. John Sollo says 'the market for 20th-century design has expanded to encompass even more recent designs, like the later work of Ward Bennett.' Image courtesy of Sollo Rago Modern Auctions. — One of Ward Bennett’s designs for Sasaki, a thick-walled black glass vase, its rim etched with circles, squares, and triangles. John Sollo says ‘the market for 20th-century design has expanded to encompass even more recent designs, like the later work of Ward Bennett.’ Image courtesy of Sollo Rago Modern Auctions.

A unique American artist and designer who started from nothing and succeeded through sheer talent and hard work at seemingly everything he tried, Ward Bennett died in 2003 at the age of 85. In his New York Times obituary, writer Julie V. Iovine wrote: “His own apartment, carved in 1962 from a warren of maids’ rooms tucked under the rooftop gables of the majestic Dakota building on the Upper West Side, was legendary in the world of New York interiors and was in the news every time he redecorated it.” In 1964, George O’Brien, who reported on home furnishings in The New York Times Magazine, had described it as “the most exciting modern apartment in New York.”
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Titian masterpiece acquired by British galleries

LONDON (AP) – Two national galleries said Monday they raised 50 million pounds ($70 million) after a public appeal to keep Titian’s 16th-century masterpiece Diana and Actaeon on display in Britain.

The National Gallery of Scotland and the National Gallery, London, bought the painting for a third of the 150 million pounds ($210 million) the Renaissance masterpiece was estimated to be worth on the open market.

About 400,000 pounds ($568,000) of the 50 million came from private donations from individuals. The rest of the money came from government, charities, arts bodies and the galleries. The galleries, one in Edinburgh and one in London, will take turns showing the painting for five years each.

“It testifies to the power of Titian’s painting and the conviction that public access to the greatest works of art is of the utmost importance,” said Dr. Nicholas Penny, director of the National Gallery, London.

The galleries appealed to the public for help last summer when it was announced that the Duke of Sutherland, the painting’s owner, was willing to part with it.

Titian’s masterpiece, which depicts a scene from a poem by Ovid, was painted for King Philip II of Spain and sent to him in 1559.

The Duke of Sutherland has said he will offer the painting’s companion, Diana and Callisto, to the galleries in four years at the same price.

The paintings form part of the Bridgewater Collection of more than two dozen works by Old Masters including Raphael, Rembrandt and Poussin.

Acquired by a British nobleman after the French Revolution, the collection has been on public display in Britain since the early 19th century. It has been on loan to the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh since 1945.

AP-ES-02-02-09 1248EST

Picasso paintings to stay at NYC museums

NEW YORK (AP) – Two famed early works by Pablo Picasso will stay in New York City museums after the institutions reached an out-of-court settlement over a lawsuit alleging the previous owner was forced by the Nazis to sell his artworks in the 1930s.

The settlement was announced Monday in federal court as the case was about to go to trial. Details of the settlement, including the amount to be paid to the heirs, were not released.

The family of a Jewish banker sued the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation for the paintings, Picasso’s Boy Leading a Horse, owned by MoMA, and the Guggenheim’s Le Moulin de la Galette.

U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff concluded last week that the family of Paul von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, who died in 1935, had produced enough evidence that the paintings had been sold under Nazi duress for the case to go to trial.

Before his death, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy took steps that his heir Julius H. Schoeps said were intended to protect his estate and art collection. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was Schoeps’ great-uncle.

The two paintings, which both date from the early 1900s, were sold to the Jewish art dealer Justin Thannhauser in 1934 or 1935. Thannhauser fled Germany and spent much of the war in Switzerland.

He kept Le Moulin de la Galette until 1963, when he gave it to the Guggenheim museum. It was painted in 1900, according to the museum’s Web site. He sold Boy Leading a Horse to former MoMA chairman William Paley in 1936. Paley gave it to MoMA in 1964, according to the museum’s Web site, which dates the painting from 1905-06.

On Monday, the judge criticized that the settlement would keep secret the history of the paintings. “I find it extraordinarily unfortunate that the public will be left without knowing what the truth is,” Rakoff said.

He also said he would consider ordering some of the settlement information to be made public.

The museums had denied that the paintings were obtained under duress, boasting in a letter to Rakoff two weeks ago that they looked forward to a trial. Rakoff said the heirs insisted that the museums should have known they had acquired the paintings under circumstances that were suspect.

“The public surely would want to know now and forever which of those diametrically different views was true, and the great crucible of a trial would have made that known,” Rakoff said.

Gregory Joseph, a lawyer for the museums, said the museums had offered to settle the case in August but a deal had been unlikely until the judge’s ruling last week. He said settlement discussions resumed promptly after the opinion was released.

John Byrne, a lawyer for the heirs, agreed with Joseph’s comment.

In a joint statement announcing the settlement, the museums said the continued ownership of the masterpieces “ensures that members of the public – including millions of visitors, students, scholars and others – will continue to enjoy them for generations to come.”

AP-ES-02-02-09 1735EST

Atlantique City shoppers can try for two $500 shopping sprees

CINCINNATI – Attendees at the 2009 Atlantique City, New Jersey’s largest indoor antiques and collectibles show, will have the opportunity to win one of two $500 shopping sprees sponsored by Barbara Gerr Antiques of Galloway, N.J. Atlantique City returns to the Atlantic City Convention Center for its now annual show on March 28-29, 2009.

Show buyers can enter a daily drawing for a $500 shopping spree in the appraisal/bookstore area of the show floor or right outside the Barbara Gerr Antiques booth, #1000. One winner will be randomly chosen each day to win the shopping spree. You must be present to win and the shopping spree is good for purchases made at the show.

“Barbara Gerr Antiques has been a tremendous partner over the last few years. Their sponsorship of the shopping sprees benefits all exhibitors as well as consumers and adds to the excitement at the show,” said show producer Eric Bradley of F+W Media. “Our buyers really look forward to the drawings.”

The March 2009 Atlantique City Show expects 400+ exhibitors of art, furniture, jewelry and vintage fashion, pottery, porcelain, glass, dolls, toys, silver and more. The show is considered by many dealers to be one of the easiest indoor shows to do because of drive-in set up that takes place over two days. It’s also a haven for collectors and decorators with objects and styles ranging from colonial to contemporary.

Atlantique City will continue to offer attendees valuable services such as free furniture delivery within a 100-mile radius, free appraisals, drawings for shopping sprees and deep discounts on the latest antiques and collectibles books. A comprehensive multi-media marketing campaign includes advertising in daily newspapers, television, community-themed magazines and weekly papers.

Art/music fusion in Sonic Youth multimedia exhibition

Sonic Youth exhibition poster. Image courtesy Kunsthalle Dusseldurf and KIT.

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY – An exhibition devoted to the activities of the experimental guitar band Sonic Youth, which profoundly influenced style in the music and art scene from its founding in 1981, has opened in Dusseldorf. The comprehensive project is being staged jointly by the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf and KIT – Kunst im Tunnel.

Titled Sonic Youth etc.: Sensational Fix, the exhibition showcases the numerous joint projects undertaken by band members with various other artists, filmmakers, designers, and musicians, as well as works of art specificially selected by Sonic Youth for the exhibition.

The interdisciplinary show, which runs through May 20, 2009, tells a story of contemporary culture that incorporates teenage rebellion, the craving for fame and the search for identity as expressed through gender roles, sexuality and religion. As a special highlight in conjunction with the exhibition, Sonic Youth will perform in an April 24, 2009 concert in Dusseldorf. Tickets have already sold out.

After its run in Dusseldorf, the exhibition will travel to the Malmö Konsthall in Malmö, Sweden.

Lost 1793 Trumbull painting discovered in England

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – A lost miniature painting by Connecticut native and Colonial-era painter John Trumbull has been found in England, where it was mislabeled for generations.

A London art dealer bought the painting for less than 200 pounds, or $280 American dollars, last month. A researcher for the dealer says the miniature, ascribed to “Humbert,” turned out to be one of many by Trumbull and was worth closer to $22,000.

Bendor Grosvenor, a researcher for London art dealer Philip Mould Ltd., said the 1793 portrait of Philadelphia lawyer William West turned up at what Grosvenor called “a very small country auction in Devon, in what in the states would be called an estate auction.”

The people who possessed the West portrait for years may have misread Trumbull’s signature as “Humbert,” Grosvenor said. The Philip Mould art dealership found Trumbull’s signature on the back of the painting, he said.

“We didn’t see the back of the painting until it got here,” Grosvenor told The Hartford Courant in a telephone interview from London. “It was quite a nice surprise it said Trumbull on the back.”

Work of Danish artist Ib Geertsen in London exhibition

'Det runde og det lige' by Ib Geertsen. © Paul Tucker Courtesy Rocket Gallery.

LONDON – Jonathan Stephenson / Rocket has mounted the first-ever solo exhibition in London of the iconic Danish artist Ib Geertsen.

Geertsen, who began painting at age 20, just celebrated his 90th birthday. The exhibition celebrates his work of the last four decades, incorporating his ventures into mobile sculptures, screenprints, furniture and public design projects.

Throughout his artistic career, Geertsen has pursued his very personal vision of ‘Konkrete’ – or geometrical – abstraction with his own distinct exploration of shapes and color combinations.

Self taught, Ib Geertsen worked as a gardener prior to discovering his gift for art. Since 1943 he has exhibited in every major museum in Denmark, and in 2003 he had a retrospective at the Kunsthallen Nicolaj, which led to renewed critical attention. His works can be found in numerous museums including Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen; ARoS, Aarhus Kunstmuseum, and Trapholt Museum, Kolding.

Art and antiques share spotlight at Jenack Auctioneers, Feb. 8

New York furniture makers produced many Empire sofas in the 1820s, but few as elegant as this example to be sold Feb. 8 by Jenack Auctioneers. Image courtesy Jenack Auctioneers & Appraisers.

CHESTER, N.Y. – A New York carved, gilt and ebonized Empire sofa will be one of the fine antiques at an auction to be conducted by William J. Jenack Auctioneers on Feb. 8.

The classic Grecian-style sofa, circa 1825, has scroll ends, lion’s paw feet and possibly its original upholstery. This fine example is 89 inches long and in excellent condition.

Additional furniture in the sale will include Chippendale, Victorian and Modern designer.

Fine art will include works by Andy Warhol, Aaron Henry Gorson, Henry T. Alken, Afonso M.F. Oliveira, Kenneth Frazier, George Henry Taggart, Karel Appel and Ally Thompson.

Art volumes will include Pablo Picasso’s Les Déjeuners, published by Abrams in 1963, and The Lithographs of Chagall-Mourlot, 1960.

Collections of African, Oceanic, Asian, Tibetan and Thai works of art will also be offered.

Americana accessories will include blue and white jacquard coverlet signed Almira Snyder and dated 1835.

A Swiss rosewood 10-tune music box, a pair of wrought-iron estate gates, Oriental rugs and estate jewelry will also be sold.

Previews will be held Wednesday, Feb. 4, noon-5 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 5, 2 p.m.-5:45 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6-7, noon-5 p.m.; and the day of the sale, 9-10:45 a.m.

William Jenack Auctioneers offers live on-line bidding through LiveAuctioneers. Prospective on-line bidders must register on LiveAuctioneers to participate. The on-line bidding buyer’s premium is 20 percent.

For more information phone 845-469-9095 or email: info@jenack.com. A full, illustrated catalog is available at www.jenack.com.

William Jenack Auctioneers is located at 62 Kings Highway Bypass, Chester NY, 10918.

Park West denies they defrauded buyers in cruise ship auctions

SEATTLE (ACNI) – Multiple class-action lawsuits are currently facing Park West Gallery Inc., of Southfield, Mich., including a complaint filed in Seattle’s U.S. District Court, Western District, that jointly names Park West, two major cruise lines, and several other corporate entities as defendants. Park West is vehemently denying any wrongdoing and plans to fight to protect its reputation and business interests.

The Seattle case, in similar fashion to a suit filed in Michigan, hinges on the authenticity, or lack thereof, of artworks auctioned by Park West on certain cruise ships. Plaintiffs allege the art they purchased in onboard auctions conducted by Park West were misrepresented as originals when, in fact, some were forgeries.

The law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro is representing the plaintiffs in the Seattle-based action, who are indicated on the complaint as “Rodney J. Blackman and Myra J. Kean, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated.” The full list of defendants, updated as of Oct. 3, 2008, is shown as “Park West Galleries, Inc., Fine Art Sales, Inc., HSBC Bank Nevada, N.A., HSBC Finance Corp., Holland America Line Inc., Holland America Line-USA Inc., Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.”

Originally filed on Sept. 2, 2008, the lawsuit alleges the defendants engaged in a scheme to knowingly defraud passengers aboard cruises by selling forged artwork to unsuspecting purchasers. Specifically, the suit claims Park West sold pieces of art “ostensibly created by artists Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and Rembrandt, when in fact the defendants knew – or should have known – that some of the pieces were forgeries.”

According to the complaint, auctions held onboard ships account for “a significant portion of the cruise ships’ revenue through revenue-sharing agreements with the art auction companies.” For a number of cruise-ship companies, not just those involved in the litigation, Park West’s auctions have become a revenue source as important as many other mainstream onboard concessions, such as boutique shopping, gambling or nightclub shows. Reports peg the cruise-ship art-auction revenue in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Kovels – Antiques & Collecting: Week of Feb. 2, 2009

Silver-plated triangular pieces of metal were formed into this 5 3/4-inch-high cigarette box made by John Otaredze about 1935. Talisman Fine Arts of San Francisco sold it last year for $1,000.

“If you like it, buy it” is the motto of many successful collectors. But sometimes you can’t afford to. We saw an unusual cigarette box about 20 years ago at a small antiques show. It was made of triangular pieces of silver-plated metal stacked one on top of the other like a deck of cards. The stack was twisted into a spiral. There was a cover over the hole inside that held cigarettes. We didn’t need the box, but it was fascinating, and we really wanted to buy it. But it was $100 – too much money for our budget – so we passed it by. No one, including the dealers, seemed to know more than we did about the unusual, well-designed box, even though it was marked “Otar USA, Pats. Pend.” We have seen two more, and the price has been higher each time. But now the cigarette box’s history is known, and we realize what a bargain we passed up years ago. John Otaredze was a Russian immigrant who worked in the Santa Cruz, Calif., area from about 1920 until he died in 1939. He made and sold lighting fixtures, andirons, lanterns and other metalwork, but he is now best-known for his Art Deco-modernist metal boxes. He patented the design and marked each box. Last year, Talisman Fine Arts of San Francisco sold one at Trocadero.com for $1,000. The value continues to rise.

A name to look for in postwar American design on the secondary market is Ward Bennett.

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