From Giacometti to Newson: 7 iconic designs

Specialist Carina Villinger discusses stand out works from the New York design sales, which take place 17 December

Marc Newson: Lockheed Lounge

Marc Newson’s Lockheed Lounge is arguably one of the most recognisable pieces of furniture to have been designed in the last 50 years. Its biomorphic form is loosely inspired by the chaise longue in Jacques-Louis Davis’s 18th century painting Madame Récamier, whilst its materials — riveted aluminium and fibreglass — are firmly rooted in modern technology. Newson studied jewellery, furniture and sculpture, and Lockheed Lounge represents the perfect confluence of all three disciplines, drawing upon history and technique, the past and the future. 

Marc Newson (B. 1963), Lockheed Lounge, 1990. Fibreglass-reinforced polyester resin core, blind-riveted sheet aluminum, rubber-coated polyester resin. Estimate: $1,500,000-2,000,000. The work will be offered in Design Masterworks on 17 December at Christie’s in New York

 

Jean Dunand: A vase


Jean Dunand (1877-1942), A Vase, circa 1920. Lacquered metal. Estimate: $18,000-24,000. The work will be offered in Masterworks of 20th Century Design: An Important Private New York Collection on 17 December at Christie’s in New York

French designer Jean Dunand is considered the greatest lacquer artist of the Art Deco period, reviving an art that was thought to be long lost at the beginning of the 1900s. The lines which zig-zag and curve across the vase’s surface are much bolder than is usual for a work by Andy Warhol; indeed they verge on the psychedelic, making it easy to understand why it was once part of Warhol’s own extensive collection of Art Deco.

 

Mario Tedeschi: A Suspension Light


Mario Tedeschi (1920-2005), A Suspension Light, circa 1952. Enameled aluminum, brass. Estimate: $20,000-30,000. The work will be offered in Design on 18 December at Christie’s in New York

This stand-out piece saw lighting designer Mario Tedeschi combine innovation with exquisite design, combining incandescent and fluorescent lights — a novel mix at the time of its release in the 1950s. Despite having multiple arms and shades, the work has an airy feel to it, emphasised by the muted colour scheme. It almost seems to float on the ceiling, as a Calder mobile might.

 

Arne Jacobsen, A ‘Drop’ Chair From The Sas Royal Hotel


Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971), A 'Drop' Chair from the SAS Royal Hotel, circa 1958. Copper-plated steel, leather. Estimate: $20,000-30,000. The work will be offered in Design Masterworks on 17 December at Christie’s in New York

The original leather covering this chair brings the piece to life. Despite showing some irregularity in colour, the material has aged to acquire a lovely patina that works perfectly with its copper-coloured legs. Designed for the snack bar of the SAS Hotel in Copenhagen, this piece was originally made to match the copper lampshades which overhung tables.

Commissioned at the height of Jacobsen’s career, the hotel was intended to be a Gesamtkunstwerk — combining many art forms — and Jacobsen designed everything from the building to the furniture and accessories. It was considered radically modern at the time and after a few years the hotel's management started making adjustments to appease more traditional customers — replacing Jacobsen’s cutlery with a heftier design, for example.

 

Pierre Jeanneret, A Library Table


Pierre Jeanneret (1896-1967), A Library Table, circa 1962. Teak, frosted glass, metal. Estimate: $100,000-150,000. The work will be offered in Design Masterworks on 17 December at Christie’s in New York

This table, a great statement piece from Pierre Jeanneret’s Indian period, would look terrific in any space. The wood has mellowed to a beautiful colour and you can still find the departmental markings showing where the pieces was used on one of the legs, which is typical for many pieces from Chandigarh. Pierre Jeanneret spent many years of his life in India and came to consider it his true home. 

 

Giacometti’s albatross


Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), An 'Albatross' Sculpture, designed 1927. Plaster. Estimate: $200,000-300,000. The work will be offered in Design on 18 December at Christie’s in New York

This wall sculpture is one of the few wall mounted works Giacometti designed, its elegant shape mimicking a bird in effortless flight. Man Ray used several birds of this design in a photograph for Chanel.

The sculpture above was part of the collection of the interior decorator Garrick Stephenson and his wife Claire. Mounted high on the wall above one of the doors in their living room, this graceful bird, with its creamy white plaster surface, perfectly encompassed the Stephenson's understated style. 

 

Katsu Hamanaka screen


Katsu Hamanaka (1895-1982), A Rare Two-Part Six-Panel Screen, 1935. Lacquer and gold-leaf, the front with a bucolic scene depicting young nymphs dancing and playing among two peacocks and an antelope. Estimate: $150,000-250,000. The work will be offered in An Important Collection of Art Deco Masterpieces on 17 December at Christie’s in New York

The smooth deep plum coloured lacquer of this screen by Katsu Hamanaka is complemented by the elaborate gold decoration on this screen. The naked female figures dancing among flowers are a typical rendition of the decorative elements of the Art Deco style. 

Hamanaka’s production of lacquer pieces is thought to be very limited, and works of the scale of this screen are rare. Hamanaka studied art in Japan before settling in Paris in the early 1920s where an introduction to Seizo Sugawara, who worked with Eileen Gray and Jean Dunand, prompted his own interest in the medium of lacquer. 

 

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