Georges Jouve, important and monumental sculpture, circa 1955 ($200/300,000)

NEW YORK CITY — Sotheby’s New York presents “Alchemy: Art x Design” in conjunction with its December 16 “Important Design” auction. The exhibition was curated by Delphine and Reed Krakoff to make connections between art, design and decorative objects from a range of periods and styles. The exhibition is on public view in the tenth floor galleries at Sotheby’s York Avenue headquarters through December 18.

Using property drawn primarily from Sotheby’s design sale, “Alchemy: Art x Design” explores the unexpected ways in which works of art and design can inform each other and the spaces they inhabit. Delphine and Reed Krakoff have created environments in which diverse pieces are arranged in dynamic juxtapositions of material, color, texture and mood. Prewar and Postwar Design will be presented with contemporary and modern art, photographs, classic American and European furniture, antiquities and Renaissance art.

Delphine and Reed Krakoff said, “While the installation will evolve through the process, our projects are always an amalgam of both of our tastes. This evolution is what creates our visual aesthetic. The important design sale offers a wide range of works such as the monumental ceramic sculpture by Jouve that occupied a space in the artist’s own garden in the South of France; a breathtaking cabinet by Fontana Arte, clad in cobalt mirrored glass; an iconic bronze and glass Moorish chandelier by Tiffany Studios; and a rare and massive bronze “branch” mirror by Lalanne, acquired directly from the artist.”

Jodi Pollack, Head of Sotheby’s Twentieth Century Design, said, “I am excited to collaborate with Delphine and Reed as they bring a fresh and holistic vision, sparked by their love of the creative process, their design expertise and their sophisticated collector’s eye to our Important Design sale exhibition.”

Claude Lalanne, “Lustre,” chandelier, 2000 ($200/300,000).

Sotheby’s design auction will feature a broad range of American and European Prewar and Postwar Design. Top highlights include French design from the Utterberg Collection, including a selection of works by Jean-Michel Frank, Diego Giacometti, Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Pierre Chareau and Eugene Printz, a rare three-piece tea service by Marianne Brandt, a modernist tble lamp by Donald Deskey, and a whimsical chandelier by Claude Lalanne.

For more information, www.sothebys.com.