Doyle’s design sale on October 8 clearly illustrated the continued strength of Twentieth Century design in the New York auction market. Excellent prices were achieved for all categories, including Art Deco and midcentury design and contemporary art. Showcased in the sale were important Art Deco furnishings from the estate of Arlene Meyer Cohen and a selection of American contemporary art from the Kulchur Queen Collection, assembled by Lita Hornick, a doyenne of progressive culture and poetry in New York.
A world auction record was set for the artist Joe Brainard, whose “Nancy Diptych, no. 283” from the Kulchur Queen Collection sold for $56,250, far surpassing all the previous sales of his work at auction. European art from the 1960s was popular with buyers, resulting in competitive bidding for a painting titled “Femmes à la Rivière” by Gabriel Godard, which sold for $8,000, and the strong price of $4,250 for an abstract composition by the Hungarian Bauhaus artist Gyorgy Kepes.
Buyers also showed their willingness to bid strongly for an exceptional work by Jean Dunand, one of the most emblematic French Art Deco artisans. The unique “Dinanderie” vase by Dunand in the sale, one of the highlights from the estate of Arlene Meyer Cohen, sold for $80,500, nearly double its estimate of $35/45,000. Many other Art Deco items from the Cohen estate sold for prices that befitted their quality †a Ruhlmann antelope mirror brought $8,750, René Buthaud vase made $18,750, André Sornay tables realized $28,125, and bronze by Piero Palazzolo at $5,625 all sold above or within their estimates. A pair of empire chairs signed by Pierre-Adrien Bellangé also from the Cohen collection, by far the earliest pieces in the sale, held their own in a dialogue with the more modern designs, selling for $13,750 against a $5/7,000 estimate.
Doyle New York once again had the chance to affirm its strength in the area of Danish modern. The Chieftain chair by Finn Juhl, a perennial favorite among collectors, also sold at a strong $28,125. A set of three chairs designed by Hans Wegner, estimated at $800․1,200, achieved the remarkable price of $8,125, and a Georg Jensen silver pitcher surpassed its high estimate to sell at $7,500.
Buyers in the sale competed strongly for midcentury furniture. A chair and ottoman designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, upholstered in a fanciful red and white fabric sold, for a groundbreaking $8,125 against an estimate of $1/1,500. Other strong sellers include a light wood breakfast table and chairs with organic flourishes at the feet by Osvaldo Borsani †estimated at $4/6,000, it sold for $10,625 †and swooping wooden Cherner chairs designed by Paul Goldman for Plycraft, $3,750. The taste for chic items that integrate easily into existing décor was exemplified by a small occasional table with a shagreen finish attributed to Karl Springer, which sold for $2,000.
Pieces by contemporary makers who are still emerging on the auction market also generally fetched strong prices. A set of metal chairs inspired by the legs of deer by Laura Johnson Drake sold for $5,313. There was a great deal of interest from the West Coast in a set of flatware by the California designer Allan Adler, which ended up bringing $4,375. A pair of striking lamps by the New Orleans maker Mario Villa sold for $4,688, far above their estimate of $800․1,200.
Prices reported include the buyer’s premium.
Doyle New York’s next auction of Doyle+Design is scheduled for spring 2009. For information, 212-427-2730 or www.doylenewyork.com .
