Paul Evans chairs and table, offered as separate lots, command $90K at PBMA

A set of six bronze sculpted side chairs by Paul Evans, dating to 1975, sold for $64,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. – Fans of American studio furniture artist Paul Evans (1931-1987) enjoyed an unusual opportunity at Palm Beach Modern Auctions (PBMA) on February 17. Offered as subsequent lots were a 1975 Paul Evans Stalagmite table and a set of six sculpted bronze side chairs. The signed and dated table, its base made from bronzed resin over steel, hammered for $21,000 ($26,800 with buyer’s premium) against an estimate of $9,000-$12,000, while the set of chairs, which were estimated at $25,000-$35,000, hammered for $50,000 ($64,000 with buyer’s premium). Full results for the auction can be seen at LiveAuctioneers.

Lurking in the lot images for each was a photograph of the May 1975 shipping order that dispatched them from Wisneski Furniture Delivery of Bayonne, New Jersey. The presence of this paperwork “bolstered the sale,” according to Wade Terwilliger, president of the auction house. “People who collected Paul Evans’ work in the 1960s and 1970s did so out of passion for the aesthetic and craftsmanship, and didn’t always keep receipts. The owners of the Stalagmite table and sculpted bronze chairs in our February 17th sale kept meticulous records and passed those on to their children,” he said. “We often have gallery provenance or correspondence, but the level of documentation accompanying these pieces is pretty rare.”

The shipping slip identified the table base as model PE102 and the chairs as model PE106. Though Paul Evans did not design the two as complementary furnishings, the consignor paired the table with the chairs in their home. “Though not specifically intended for use together, the table and chairs have a shared texture – so important to Evans’ pieces – that ties them together. There was a good deal of crossover bidding on the two lots, buyers intending to use them together,” Terwilliger said, and observed that bidding for both was “heated from all sources”. That intensity ultimately resulted in the table going home with one bidder and the chairs being claimed by another, an outcome that surprised Terwilliger.

He was unfazed by the chairs selling for more than the Stalagmite table, a Paul Evans form that he said is popular at auction in any size. “The chairs are quite a find, especially in sets of six or more – though this is an atypical set in that there were no captain’s chairs,” he said. “Typically, we’ve seen them sold as four or six side chairs plus two arm chairs. Maybe one or two sets come to auction per year, anywhere, and we were excited to offer these.”

A set of six bronze sculpted side chairs by Paul Evans, dating to 1975, sold for $64,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

A set of six bronze sculpted side chairs by Paul Evans, dating to 1975, sold for $64,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

One from a set of six bronze sculpted side chairs by Paul Evans, dating to 1975, which sold for $64,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

One from a set of six bronze sculpted side chairs by Paul Evans, dating to 1975, which sold for $64,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

A 1975 Paul Evans Stalagmite table sold for $26,800 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

A 1975 Paul Evans Stalagmite table sold for $26,800 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

Visible in the lot images for both the Paul Evans side chairs and Stalagmite table are shots showing the furnishings together, as the consignor used them. Offered as separate, subsequent lots, the table sold for $26,800 and the chairs for $64,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

Visible in the lot images for both the Paul Evans side chairs and Stalagmite table are shots showing the furnishings together, as the consignor used them. Offered as separate, subsequent lots, the table sold for $26,800 and the chairs for $64,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

Visible in the lot images for the Paul Evans side chairs and also the Stalagmite table is a photograph of the shipping slip for both, dated May 28, 1975. Offered as separate, subsequent lots, the table sold for $26,800 and the chairs for $64,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

Visible in the lot images for the Paul Evans side chairs and also the Stalagmite table is a photograph of the shipping slip for both, dated May 28, 1975. Offered as separate, subsequent lots, the table sold for $26,800 and the chairs for $64,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Sheila Gibson Stoodley

Sheila Gibson Stoodley is the associate editor for Auction Central News. She has written and edited for Robb Report, Art & Antiques magazine, and Andrew Harper online. She also authored The Hot Bid, a blog devoted to intriguing and delightful lots coming up at auction.

Titans of 20th-century design share the stage at Palm Beach Modern Auctions Feb. 17

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LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach Modern Auctions is mounting a massive 474-lot Modern + Contemporary Art, Design & Luxury sale featuring some of the biggest names in 20th-century design. The complete catalog is now available for bidding at LiveAuctioneers.

The sale’s top-estimated lot is a 1982 work by Venezuelan optical and kinetic artist Jesus Rafael Soto (1923-2005). Ambivalencia en el Espacio, Color 16 is a 40.25in square sculpture fashioned from painted wood and metal. It includes labeling which reads Editions Denise Rene, Paris, France, signed and describing the work as unique | Museu de Arte Contemporaneo de Caracas, Venezuela, registration number 035. Provenance: Artist’s studio. The sculpture carries an estimate of $80,000-$120,000.

Famed Vogue Magazine photographer Irving Penn (1917-2009) spent his entire career capturing images of the famous and beautiful for the printed page. Woman in Chicken Hat (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn) was originally photographed in New York during the 1948-1949 timeframe, shortly after Penn had returned from wartime duties as part of the American Field Service. This signed and stamped print is numbered 15 from an edition of 20 released in 1984 and features provenance from the Hal Katzen Gallery in New York. It is estimated at $70,000-$90,000.

Though he is most often associated with Art Deco, Jean-Michel Frank (1895-1941) presaged the mid-century modern movement, though he never lived to see it. These side tables are made from wood and parchment and were apparently made by Frank as a private commission. In very good condition, with only a few minor nicks to the edges, the tables are estimated at $50,000-$70,000.

Legendary Finnish lighting designer Paavo Tynell (1890-1973) made some of the 20th century’s most recognizable light fixtures. One of his most sought-after creations is included in the sale: Snowflake Chandelier, a premier offering from Tynell’s Taito firm. Made of perforated brass with numerous dangling flakes, the fixture is estimated at $30,000-$50,000.
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Jesus Rafael Soto, ‘Ambivalencia en el Espacio, Color 16,’ estimated at $80,000-$120,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.
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Irving Penn, ‘Woman in Chicken Hat (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn),’ estimated at $70,000-$90,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auction.
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Jean-Michel Frank pair of side tables, estimated at $50,000-$70,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.
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Paavo Tynell Snowflake chandelier, estimated at $30,000-$50,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auction.
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Jacques Dufresne set of 6 bronze mermaid chairs, estimated at $20,000-$30,000 at Palm Beach Modern Auctions.
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PBMA presents third offering from Tupperware corporate art collection, May 6

Rico Baca, auctioneer and co-owner of Palm Beach Modern Auctions, rotates a Jorge Marin sculpture on its base. The monumental kinetic bronze, estimated at $3,000-$5,000, is one of dozens of pieces from the Tupperware Brands Corporation art collection that appear in the May 6 sale. Photo credit Palm Beach Modern Auctions staff
Rico Baca, auctioneer and co-owner of Palm Beach Modern Auctions, rotates a Jorge Marin sculpture on its base. The monumental kinetic bronze, estimated at $3,000-$5,000, is one of dozens of pieces from the Tupperware Brands Corporation art collection that appear in the May 6 sale. Photo credit Palm Beach Modern Auctions staff
Rico Baca, auctioneer and co-owner of Palm Beach Modern Auctions, rotates a Jorge Marin sculpture on its base. The bronze, estimated at $3,000-$5,000, is one of dozens of pieces from the Tupperware Brands Corporation art collection that appear in the May 6 sale. Photo credit Palm Beach Modern Auctions staff

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. – On Saturday, May 6, Palm Beach Modern Auctions (PBMA) will present the third sale featuring works from the art collection of the Tupperware Brands Corporation. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. The works represent several genres and styles: geometric abstracts, Color Field paintings, landscapes, botanical scenes and florals. Many are by central Florida artists, including works by Doris Leeper of DeLand, Steve Lotz of Orlando and Luis Sottil of Tampa. To the delight of PBMA Co-Owner and Auctioneer Rico Baca, the careers of some of these artists have blossomed in the intervening years.

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Damien Hirst is first among the prizes offered at PBMA, March 4

Damien Hirst, ‘Histidyl,’ estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Image credit: Palm Beach Modern Auctions staff photographer
Damien Hirst, ‘Histidyl,’ estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Image credit: Palm Beach Modern Auctions staff photographer

Damien Hirst, ‘Histidyl,’ estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Image credit: Palm Beach Modern Auctions staff photographer

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. – On Saturday, March 4, beginning at noon Eastern time, Palm Beach Modern Auctions will open its winter premier sale with a 194-lot single owner collection of works by famed 20th- and 21st-century artists. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Palm Beach Modern Auctions offers sophisticated selection, Nov. 6-7

Gene Davis, ‘Six Shooter,’ est. $25,000-$35,000
Gene Davis, ‘Six Shooter,’ est. $25,000-$35,000
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – South Florida locals know there’s more to holiday shopping than clicking the “add to cart” button and crushing crowds at big box stores. Everything from Hermes scarves to vintage perfume bottles, iconic pop art to French landscapes, lounge chairs to relax in and an array of perfect vases for mom’s flowers are up for bid at Palm Beach Modern Auctions (PBMA) on Saturday, November 6 and Sunday, November 7, and there’s nothing stopping you from bidding your heart out. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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Palm Beach Modern to auction Gio Ponti cabinet from Villa Nemazee, Aug. 21

Gio Ponti (Italian, 1891-1972), Cabinet/Credenza commissioned for Villa Nemazee in Tehran, Iran. Manufactured by Giordano Chiesa. Estimate: $40,000-$50,000

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The word “important” is sometimes used a bit too freely in describing antiques or collectibles, but it would not be a stretch to call this cabinet “highly important.” We spotted it in Palm Beach Modern Auctions’ (PBMA) catalog for their Saturday, August 21 sale titled Objects20C Collection: The Best of Modern. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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