: Christie's sale of important Twentieth Century decorative art and
design, including property from the collection of Dakis Joannou,
totaled $10,737,080. The sale was 62 percent sold by lot and 81
percent sold by value. A table made by Carlo Mollino in 1949
achieved a staggering $3,824,000 against a presale estimate of
$150/200,000.
The table was bought by a private collector after a protracted
auction battle with another determined bidder in the saleroom at
Christie's Rockefeller. The result almost doubles the previous
world auction record of $1,876,000 - also set at Christie's New
York in December 2000 for "Tardieu," a chromed metal and lacquer
desk by Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, designed in 1929.
Joshua Holdeman, head of Twentieth Century decorative art and
design, New York, and Philippe Garner, international director of
Twentieth Century art and design, said, "Mollino is one of a
handful of highly revered designers whose production was
relatively limited, and whose pieces inspire a great respect
among collectors. This table is an outstanding example of his
work, combining visual surprise, great rarity and a fully
documented provenance. It has survived in excellent condition.
These factors combined to ignite passionate competitive bidding
for this iconic masterwork and produced this exemplary result."
Unique table by Charlotte Perriand, 1927, $192,000.
The Mollino table was part of the collection of Dakis
Joannou, one of the most celebrated contemporary art collectors in
the world and founder of the Deste Foundation for Contemporary Art
in his native Greece.
The sale featured 26 lots from the Joannou collection and
together they fetched $4,932,760. Another top furniture highlight
was a Jean Royere polar bear suite from 1947, which sold for
$363,200.
The first Christie's auction exclusively devoted to Tiffany for
four years, the important Tiffany portion of the sale featured a
50-lot array of carefully selected pieces, including works from
an important private European collection. Leading lots included a
Laburnum leaded glass and bronze table lamp, Tiffany Studios,
circa 1910, which brought $441,600, an Oriental Poppy leaded
glass and bronze floor lamp, Tiffany Studios, circa 1910,
fetching $352,000; and a Laburnum leaded glass and gilt-bronze
table lamp, circa 1910, which realized $329,600.
Rounding out the sale's top ten lots were: a mahogany table,
Andre Arbus, 1940s, $273,600; a Poinsetta leaded glass shade,
Tiffany Studios, circa 1910. $262,400; a Rose leaded glass and
gilt-bronze table lamp, Tiffany Studios, circa 1910, $262,400; a
Nasturtium leaded glass and bronze table lamp, Tiffany Studios,
circa 1910, $192,000; and Charlotte Perriand's unique metal and
glass table, 1927, a flawlessly proportioned exercise in
Modernist design, $192,000.
Prices reported include buyer's premium.
For information, 212-636-2000 or www.Christies.com.
