On The Block: Wright’s American Design Sale This Week Is Full Of Mid-Century Classics
Author:Philip FerratoIn the past year, auction houses like Wright have become much more sophisticated in their online presentation with great images, details, and catalogs that are as much about assembling your own collection as learning about the design history.
On Thursday, February 12th in Chicago, Wright will hold a sale of iconic American design. You can browse the collection, but we’ve saved you some time by selecting a few choice items to covet. At top, a 1948 prototype of Eero Saarinen’s Womb Chair covered in Jack Lenor Larson fabric. With a wider, more generous curve, the chair belonged to Saarinen himself. Estimated to sell for $3,000-$4,000, it’s one of the standout lots in the sale.
Florence Knoll created some of the most elegant Mid-Century furniture. Her 1948 Knoll Cabinet #122 in birch, stained oak, cloth, leather is expected to fetch between $3,000-$5,000.
Above, a pair of “Anywhere” lamps by Gerald Thurston, one of Lightolier’s principal designers, with shades of thin, woven walnut slats, are expected to sell for $3,000-$5,000. There are thirty-five lots by George Nelson + Associates, including ten clocks his firm designed for for the Howard Miller Clock Company in the ’50s. A selection below, clockwise from left: A masonite wall clock estimated at $700-$900; a brass Asterisk wall clock estimated at $500-$700; a Ball wall clock estimated at $500-$700; our favorite, a walnut 1957 Chess Piece table clock estimated to fetch $1,500–$2,000.
Ray and Charles Eames are represented in three dozen lots including this 34-inch-high molded plywood screen that’s expected to bring $3,000-$5,000, plus a stunning quartet of walnut DCW chairs, estimated to bring in $2,000-$3,000.
Have a look at the complete online catalog. Find out more about the mechanics of bidding here, including the give options for bidding Wright offers. Shop Wright Now, an online selection of furniture and objects available for immediate sale.
American Design, 12:00 Noon CST, February 12, 2012
Wright
1440 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60642
