Peter’s Post-Auction Picks: Top 5 Bargains for the Budget Shopper

As a follow-up to Top 5 Unsold Investment Lots, today Peter goes over unsold lots that are all priced under $700.

#5 //

Lot 428
Modern decorator acrylic desk

Great desk or dining table, or both, especially for the small apartment.
(Buy it now price: $400)

#4 //

Lot 407
American Modern
lacquered coffee table

Everyone will be fighting for this look in a few years. Be ahead of the pack.
(Buy it now price: $200)

#3 //

Lot 361
Danish Modern teak coffee table

A great functional coffee table will work perfectly in modern or traditional spaces.
(Buy it now price: $500)

#2 //

Lot 320
General Electric clock

A beautiful clock on a high quality custom base, carpe momento!
(Buy it now price: $625)

#1 //

Lot 65
Herbert Matter Self Portrait

A great photo-surrealist work for about the cost of a frame.
(Buy it now price: $625)

For a full list of unsold lots, please visit the LAMA Homepage.
See something you like? Email Shannon@lamodern.com to make an offer.

Lot Information:

Lot 65
Herbert Matter
Untitled (Self Portrait)
Vintage Silver Gelatin print
Image 9.25″ x 7.5″; Frame 21″ x 17″

Lot 320
Mid Century Modern Clock
General Electric
designed circa 1960
Retains General Electric label
with stand 15.25″h x 13″ x 10.5″diameter

Lot 361
Danish Modern
Coffee table
Manufacturer unknown
designed circa 1960
Teak
16″h x 59″ x 20.25″

Lot 407
American Modern
Coffee table
Manufacturer unknown
designed circa 1970
17.5″h x 34″ x 34″

Lot 428
Modern Decorator
Console
Manufacturer unknown
designed circa 1970
Acrylic with glass top   30″h x 66″w x 36″d

June 26, 2011 Auction Lots ONLINE NOW

Over 450 lots of 20th century prints, paintings, furniture, lighting, ceramics, and photographs — all available for viewing ONLINE.

To place bids, please email Shannon@lamodern.com with lots of interest.

For condition reports, please email Elizabeth@lamodern.com with a list of lots and/or questions regarding conditions for each lot.

Lot Information

 

Lot 232
Eero Aarino
Pony chair
Stendig
designed 1973
35″h x 25″w x 45″l
Estimate $2,500 – 3,500
June 26, 2011 Modern Art & Design Auction 

Lot 255
Alessandro Pianon
Handblown glass figure (bird/Pulcini)
Vistosi
designed 1962
6.75″ x 8.5″ x 3.5″
Estimate $3,000 – 5,000
June 26, 2011 Modern Art & Design Auction 

Kelvin and Philip LaVerne Coffee Tables

Father and son collaborators, the LaVerne’s, developed a system of casting bronze in thin low-relief sheets, which were used to assemble tables and other decorative designs. Their studio may have been on the east coast, but their works were available through upper-market decorators and retailers nationwide.

Shown here are two example of their coffee tables.

Most of their designs incorporated classical pastoral scenes, some with a distinct Asian influence.  Others had abstract designs and a few were done with religious overtones from the Old Testament.

The Laverne’s work is collectible not only for its decoration, but also for the unusually high level of execution.  Each piece over time can develop a richer and more interesting patina based in its environment.

Lot Information

Lot 37
Kelvin & Philip LaVerne
Coffee table
Philip LaVerne Collection Co.,
designed circa 1960
Bronze
Signed in image recto
15.5”h x 54”l x 24”d
Estimate $3,000-5,000

Lot 268
Kelvin & Philip LaVerne
Coffee table
Philip LaVerne Collection Co.
designed circa 1960
Bronze
Signed in image recto; retains label verso
17”h x 47.25” x 47.25”
Estimate $7,000-9,000

For more information on how to bid on these lots please click here.

LAMA goes to San Diego to give Appraisals

Do you live in San Diego? Do you own vintage modern art, furniture or design, which you are interested in selling and would you like to know their market values?

If you answered yes to these questions today is your lucky day!

Peter Loughrey will be in San Diego Thursday and Friday, June 10th and 11th and still has some appointments open to conduct appraisals. If you are looking to sell, contact us as soon as possible to set up an appointment for Peter to see your collection.

To set up an appointment please contact Shannon at shannon@lamodern.com and include images of the items of interest.

Andy Warhol, Marilyn (F/S 29), 1967

Marcel Breuer Furniture from Stillman I, II, and III

Modern master Marcel Breuer studied and taught at the Bauhaus in the 1920s, and during this time he pioneered steel tubular furniture.  Later in his career he would go on to explore wood to create innovative furniture.  LAMA has the honor to offer four lots of Marcel Breuer furniture from the famous Stillman I, II, and III Residences in the upcoming May 23, 2010 Modern Art & Design Auction.

From the late 1940s until his death in 1981, Marcel Breuer created half a dozen buildings and projects for Rufus Stillman, including three homes in Litchfield, Connecticut. In 1949 the Stillman’s began searching for an appropriate architect to build their home. During this search the Stillman’s asked the advice of Architecture Department at MoMA, which led them to Breuer. In 1950 Breuer completed Stillman I, a rectangular formation with protruding porches that stood out among the colonial constructions in Litchfield.  Additionally, Breuer designed furniture for the Stillman’s homes and office buildings.

The following four lots are examples of wooden tables (one incorporates slate) designed for function and utility, and have been used by the Stillman family for over sixty years.

Lot 43
Marcel Breuer
Dining Table
Custom, designed ca. 1970
Square top in 2” wood laminate overhanging a black painted wooden base
27 x 54 x 54 inches
This table was designed for Stillman III and was brought back to Stillman I when the couple bought the house back in the early 1980s.
Provenance: Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Stillman
Estimate: $15,000 – 20,000

Lot 44
Marcel Breuer
Coffee Table
Custom, ca. 1965
Laminated maple and black painted wood table
13 1/2 x 36 x 36 inches
This table was designed for Stillman II in the same style as the earlier table.
Provenance: Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Stillman
Estimate: $9,000 – 12,000

Lot 45
Marcel Breuer
Dining Table
Custom, designed ca. 1970s
Rectangular top in 2” wood overhanging and raised on a painted wooden base
29 x 72 x 36inches
This table was designed for one of Rufus Stillman’s offices at the Torin Corporation.
Provenance: Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Stillman
Estimate: $15,000 – 20,000

Lot 46
Marcel Breuer
Coffee Table
Custom, designed ca. 1950
Raised table top of 1 1/2 “ dark gray slate overhanging and raised on a square base of stained wood
13 1/2 x 36 x 36 inches
This table was designed for Stillman I and went with the couple to each of their residences.
Provenance: Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Stillman
Estimate: $9,000 – 12,000

Color of the Day: Orange

Today we got in two great orange chairs for the May 23, 2010 Modern Art & Design Auction. The first is a Kowk Hoi Chan “Zen” Chair estimated at $2,000 – 3,000. I sat down in it, and it’s very comfortable. The next chair is the Verner Panton Chair estimated at $2,000 – 3,000. We have not cataloged this piece yet, but we will have more information on it for the catalog.

Modern Art, Modern Design, Modern Furniture: See you at the Auction

Yesterday we sent out an email to our LAMA mailing list subscribers (if you aren’t on the list, you should definitely sign-up to receive auction updates) announcing a last call for consignments for the Spring 2010 Modern Art and Design Auction. If you wish to consign any material, please email images to Peter at peter@lamodern.com, for the deadline is Friday, March 5!  Needless to say, the phones have been ringing off the hook! Check out the material that will definitely be in the Spring 2010 Modern Art & Design Auction:

Fine Art by Andy Warhol, Tony Rosenthal, Jerome Kirk, Pablo Picasso, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Francois-Xavier Lalanne, Ed Ruscha, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.

Decorative Arts by Otto Natzler, Frank Lloyd Wright, Peter Voulkos, Paul Schreckengost, Architectural Pottery and Stan Bitters.

Furniture and Design by George Nakashima, Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell, Sam Maloof, Marcel Breuer, Van Keppel & Green, and George Nelson.

Ralph Goings, watercolor, "Gem Top", Estimate $30,000 - 50,000, To be in Spring 2010 Auction