LA design marketplace consigns prizes to Abell auction, May 20-21
Alice Baber, ‘Storm of the Rainbow,’ estimated at $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Abell Auction Co.
LOS ANGELES – An assortment of coveted items from the design marketplace Fat Chance Los Angeles and the personal favorites of its founder, Jeff Schuerholz, will highlight Abell Auction Co.’s Fine Art, Jewelry & Fine Furnishings sale on Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21. Bidding starts at 9 am Pacific time each day of the online auction, which features more than 500 lots. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
For decades, Fat Chance Los Angeles has curated a collection of 70 original and authentic Karl Springer pieces. It includes furniture, lighting, mirrors and accessories, making it one of the largest collections of Springer designs to be sold. Among its highlights are a custom petrified wood tulip-base table, estimated at $10,000-$15,000, and a glass and brass free-form coffee table with an estimate of $2,000-$3,000.
Karl Springer glass and brass free-form coffee table, estimated at $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy of Abell Auction Co.
Other notable items include Florence Arnold original abstract hard edge oil paintings, among them the 1980 canvas Gold and Gray, estimated at $3,000-$5,000. Also featured are Jack Boyd bronzes, Paul Evans furniture, important enamels by Jackson and Ellamarie Woolley, Tommi Parzinger pieces, an Evelyn Ackerman mosaic and a sizable sculpture by Yasuhide Kobashi. Many of these items are from the personal collection of Jeff Schuerholz and have never been offered on the secondary market.
Florence Arnold, ‘Gold and Gray,’ estimated at $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of Abell Auction Co.
When Schuerholz, an accomplished artist and collector, opened his first store in Los Angeles in 1978, a notable magazine editor told him he had a “fat chance” of being successful in that location. The name stuck, and he pioneered a highly successful gallery serving designers, architects, celebrities, the Hollywood film industry and private buyers for more than four decades.
Karl Springer custom petrified wood tulip-base table, estimated at $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Abell Auction Co.
“Through the years, the store’s underlying theme has been modern art and furnishings,” said Schuerholz. “All along, we strived to represent the best of each decade by bringing the next wave of quality design and art to our customers. Designers and collectors have been an important part of our business, and we have shipped items to all parts of the world.”
The two-day auction at Abell also will feature the collection of Beverly Hills award-winning designer Barbara Lockhart, led by a John Vesey Louis XVI-style bureau plat, the Jean-Pierre Yvaral acrylic on canvas Progression Polychrome and the Francois Gall painting Nu Assis.
Ernie Barnes, ‘The Ebony Tree,’ estimated at $200,000-$300,000. Image courtesy of Abell Auction Co.
Other important offerings include one of the largest Ernie Barnes works to hit the auction market, The Ebony Tree, estimated at $200,000-$300,000; Alice Baber’s Storm of the Rainbow, estimated at $20,000-$30,000; and Jacob Armstead Lawrence’s screenprint General Toussaint L’Ouverture. The sale lineup also includes Lichtenstein and Warhol signed and numbered prints, Adolf DeMeyer photography, Claude Venard original works, Ed Ruscha-signed multiples, Alexander Calder prints and tapestries, Joan Miro numbered prints and a large collection of Picasso Madoura pottery.
Ring featuring 10.65-carat fancy yellow diamond, estimated at $200,000-$300,000. Image courtesy of Abell Auction Co.
The jewelry selection is equally impressive, featuring a 10.65-carat fancy yellow diamond ring, estimated at $200,000-$250,000, as well as vintage cocktail rings, tennis bracelets and brooches.
Click to view top auction results on LiveAuctioneers: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/pages/recent-auction-sales/
