NEW YORK – This debut edition of Bid Smart Recap, which brings together Bid Smart articles on a specific topic, showcases leading women designers of furniture, lighting, and home fittings. Each, with her own visions, has shaped the look and feel of our homes.
A Gae Aulenti prototype Saint Moritz table for Pierluigi Ghiandi, which never went into production, brought €9,000 (about $9,195) plus the buyer’s premium in November 2019. Image courtesy of Viscontea Casa d’Aste srl and LiveAuctioneers.
Gae Aulenti (1927-2012) excelled at translating architectural principles into décor. The Italian’s keen design acumen yielded furnishings and lighting that embodied the mid-century Modern aesthetic.
This Eileen Gray Transat chair achieved $4,250 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2020. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.
Irish-born Eileen Gray (1878-1976) went largely recognized in her own lifetime, but her designs, including her famed Transat chair, have since been ardently embraced.
A trio of snakes forms the legs of Judy Kensley McKie’s 1997 Serpent side table. This example, numbered 15 of 16, sold for $26,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2010. Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center and LiveAuctioneers.
Judy Kensley McKie (b. 1944-) took up furniture-making for eminently practical reasons: as newlyweds, she and her husband were too poor to buy any. Now she ranks among the greats of American studio furniture.
This Greta Magnusson Grossman Grasshopper lamp earned $9,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2022. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers.
A pioneering woman architect and designer whose contemporaries were mostly men, Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906-1999) applied traditional Swedish sensibilities to her work.
A Mira Nakashima single-board Conoid dining table with six single-board Conoid dining chairs realized $30,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.
Mira Nakashima (b. 1942-) helped her famed father, George, in his New Hope, Pennsylvania atelier. After he died, she continued his legacy. Now, works bearing her name alone are gaining favor.
A pair of Rose Tarlow yellow velvet Lambertus chairs achieved a robust price of $7,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2021. Image courtesy of Andrew Jones Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
American interior designer Rose Tarlow (b. 1944-) has had her finger on the pulse of California design since the 1970s. Through her business, Rose Tarlow Melrose House, she and her team produces unique and spectacular pieces.
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Andrea Valluzzo
Andrea Valluzzo is an award-winning journalist who has worked for media publications for more than 20 years. Today, she enjoys writing about antiques, collectibles, art and the art of collecting. Based in Connecticut, she's also an avid scrapbooker who loves Broadway shows.
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. — Back-to-back sales from Rago promise collectors of vintage art pottery and ceramics and modern designs from Nakashima and Bertoia a tremendous opportunity, with more than 300 lots across both sales. Early 20th Century Design and Modern Design happen on Thursday, January 18, and Friday, January 19, respectively, and both catalogs are now open for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.
Day 1 kicks off with a bounty of 26 George Ohr pieces, ranging from his famed deformed works to more traditional designs. The highest-estimated Ohr piece is a notable snake vase dated to the 1897-1900 period. Standing 9.5in tall, it features two snakes, two ribbon handles, and an indigo, emerald, black, and gunmetal glaze. It includes an impressed signature to the underside G. E. OHR, Biloxi, Miss and is estimated at $45,000-$65,000.
Art Nouveau specialists Van Briggle Pottery (1901-2012) are also well represented in the sale with 10 items. Co-founder Artus Van Briggle takes the top slot among his pottery’s works here with what the lot notes call a “rare and early” Despondency vase. Topped with an agonized human figure, the base is marked AA Van Briggle 1902 92-8 70 and is in stunning condition. It is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.
The final group in Day 1 comes from the Grueby Faience Company of Revere, Massachusetts. An ‘exceptional’ squat vase with water lilies designed by Florence Liley for Grueby Faience has a manufacturer’s mark and number to its base: Grueby Faience Co. Boston U.S.A. 184 and FSL. It carries a $15,000-$20,000 estimate.
Day 2 features four works by Harry Bertoia (1915-1978), each from a different group of designs for which the artist would make numerous iterative variations. Estimated at $50,000-$70,000 is Untitled (Bush Form) from 1968. Acquired from Bertoia and in the same collection since, this is its first appearance at auction.
Fans of the rugged naturalist designs of George Nakashima furniture can choose from an amazing 36 lots in the Rago sale. This Minguren II coffee table is the leading Nakashima lot of the day, made from American black walnut in 1973. It features an exceptionally large single slab crotch-wood top with three free edges and expressive figured grain. The piece is signed with client name Kislevitz to the underside. Sold with a digital copy of the original order card, the table is estimated at $40,000-$60,000.
A Mira Nakashima single-board Conoid dining table with six single-board Conoid dining chairs achieved $30,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.
NEW YORK — When renowned architect, furniture-maker and woodworker George Nakashima died in 1990, daughter Mira Nakashima (American, b. 1942-) had no qualms about stepping into his shoes to manage his legacy.
Mira Nakashima, single-board Conoid dining table and set of six single-board Conoid dining chairs, estimated at $30,000-$50,000
PHILADELPHIA — Freeman’s Tuesday, April 4 sale, titled Mira Nakashima Masterworks: The Estate of Geoffrey Halaburt, represents the strongest single-owner collection of works by Mira Nakashima to ever appear at auction. The daughter of legendary woodworker George Nakashima, Mira has overseen the family’s storied New Hope, Pennsylvania furniture studio since her father’s death in 1990. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Mira Nakashima Conoid dining table from 2000, estimated at $10,000-15,000
DALLAS – More than three-quarters of a century after George Nakashima opened his studio, the works it produces remain in high demand among collectors who prize the merging of artistic designs with elite craftsmanship.
Three works from the studio that still custom-mills sustainably harvested hardwoods will land in new collections when they are sold in Heritage Auctions’ Design Auction July 15. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Mira Nakashima coffee table, which sold for $28,125, more than five times its estimate
CHICAGO – Hindman’s Modern Design sale saw outstanding results on May 20, and ultimately realized more than $865,000. Competitive bidding across multiple platforms led to estimates being surpassed, and works by acclaimed designers such as Mira Nakashima, Martin Szekely, Christopher Ries, and Philip and Kelvin LaVerne achieved top prices. Works by renowned designers Warren Platner, Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova, Vladimir Kagan, David Easton, and Florence Knoll also saw strong engagement.
Guy de Rougemont, Golden Clover coffee table, estimated at $15,000-$20,000
CHICAGO – On May 20, Hindman will present its biannual Modern Design sale, which will feature iconic designers who played a crucial role in defining 20th century design. The auction will celebrate the work of renowned designers including Finn Juhl, Eileen Gray, Martin Szekely, Mira Nakashima, Warren Platner, and Paul Evans. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
