WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (ACNI) – After weeks of incessant media coverage, Palm Beach Modern Auctions (PBMA) 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). LiveAuctioneers provided Internet live-bidding services for the event.
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 had 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 we anticipated 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.
Two Robert Davidoff (1926-2004) silver gelatin prints of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, which sold as one lot with copyright for $2,200. PBMA image
“There was an incredible amount of media interest in the Onassis material. It started when Auction Central News and its parent company LiveAuctioneers took notice and started promoting the sale. Very soon after that, 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, which again, got its kick-start from LiveAuctioneers’ PR department,” 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 to 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 sold in the auction will soon reside. Kolbe artworks are held in museum collections across Europe, the United States and Russia.
Georg Kolbe (German, 1877-1947), bronze nude, 21.5 inches high, top lot of the sale at $56,120. PBMA image
“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.
John Seery (American, b. 1941-), ‘Espana,’ 76 x 93 inches, Hokin Gallery label on verso, $7,442. PBMA image
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.
Wendell Castle ‘Parallelogram’ coffee table, sold with certificate of authenticity, $19,520. PBMA image
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.
Coppola E Toppo for Valentino choker, black glass tubes and roses montees affixed to a weft of black half-crystal faceted beads, $7,930. PBMA image
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 is so typical of her and her never-ending generosity,” said Baca.
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 LiveAuctioneers does for us – it brings us the underbidders.”
Baca said many auction records were set for individual artists during his company’s January 17 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.”
To contact Palm Beach Modern Auctions, call 561-586-5500 or email info@modernauctions.com. Visit them online at www.modernauctions.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog for PBMA’s Jan. 17, 2015 auction, complete with prices realized at https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/65808_modern-design-jacqueline-kennedy-and-luxury/page1.
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