20th Century Decorative Art & Design Auction at Christies

20 April '11

London

On April 20 '11 Christies will host a 20th Century Decorative Art & Design Auction in London. After Christie's Les Collections du Château de Gourdon and a previous 20th Century Decorative Art & Design sale in New York have proven to be a bit underwhelming, I am curious to see if this London sale will provide us with a bit of excitement.

This sale presents a little bit of everything. I am most interested in the three works by Piero Fornasetti; his work has been gaining momentum in the past couple years. His Leopard Chest of Drawers (estimated at £20,000 - £30,000) is a wonderful example of his more subtle method of using graphics to create texture on the surface of his work while at the same time evoking a surreal mood with the piece. Also in this sale, is the Reflecting City Cabinet (estimated at £40,000 - £50,000). This piece is a collaboration with Gio Ponti, another very collectible designer. What I find most interesting about this piece is it's ambiguity; on first glance, one might thing this is an antique hand-painted cabinet, however upon closer inspection Fornasetti and Ponti's style is clearly evident.

At the last London auction at Phillips de Pury & Company I was dissapointed that Atelier Van Lieshout's Prick Lamp was bought in. In this sale their Wexner Sculpture (estimated at £15,000 - £20,000) is on offer; this piece can be very important to a collection of Atelier Van Lieshout's work as it represents a prototype of a greater design. Therefore this work will be revealing of the designers' current collectibility.

Reflecting City Cabinet by Piero Fornasetti and Gio Ponti

Wexner Sculpture by Atelier Van Leishout