Peter Max’s acrylic on canvas rendering of a lady with flowers was estimated at $1/2,000 and made $5,100.
WINDSOR, CONN. — Nadeau’s Auction Gallery announced the results of its January 28 Midcentury, Modern art and contemporary sale. This midwinter event featured nearly 600 lots, had a 93 percent sell-through rate and produced strong results across all categories.
Furnishings from some of the world’s most sought-after makers took several of the top slots at this sale. A Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) two-part sectional sofa by luxury manufacturer Henredon was estimated at $2/4,000 and made $5,120. This fabric and wooden couch measured 30 inches tall and 64 inches long.
A Philip (1908-1988) and Kelvin (b 1936) Laverne “Les Femmes” coffee cocktail table was estimated at $8/12,000 and sold for $12,160. This signed, patinated bronze and pewter example featured nude female figural legs and was 16½ inches tall with a 35-by-47-inch top.
Fetching $5,000 against a $2/3,000 estimate was a pair of Mies Van Der Rohe (1886-1969) Barcelona leather lounge chairs. The seats, designed by the German-American Modernist architect and furniture designer, each measured 30 inches high and 29½ inches wide.
Custom Sunlight/Duelund SE308/Fostex TA90AES high-efficiency, full-range system, delivered $4,375. The speakers measured 41 inches and were housed in bespoke walnut enclosures built by John Kalinowski.
This sale featured premier selections of tables by John Dickinson (1920-1982), a designer famous for his concrete and steel furnishings that integrated animal, human and organic themes into their designs. His six-legged African table was estimated at $1/2,000 and made $6,400. It was marked John Dickinson Sutherland to its underside and measured 19 inches tall with a diameter of 36½ inches.
His painted plaster X-leg table was estimated at $1/2,000 and realized $3,840. It featured the artist’s signature impressed on its underside and measured 21¼ inches tall with a 19½-by-19½-inch top. Dickinson’s practically matching table was also estimated at $1/2,000 and sold for $3,840.
Fine art was another premier category. Peter Max’s acrylic on canvas rendering of a lady with flowers was estimated at $1/2,000 and made $5,100. This brightly colored, free-form portrait was signed by the artist on its top right and measured 28½ by 22½ inches.
Charles Griffin Farr’s (1908-1997) “Tuolumne,” 1981, was estimated at $500-$1,000 and made $4,305. This framed, eye-catching landscape of a rocky river bed was frames, measured 48 by 65 inches overall and included an Oakland Museum art department label on verso.
A work after Joan Miro was estimated at $3/5,000 and closed the loop at $5,228. The circa 1960 example, titled “Femme, Oiseaux Et Etoile,” was rendered in grey, brown, black, white and red.
In the spotlight was an offering of lithographs and early and original illustrations. A work after Joan Miro (1893-1983) was estimated at $3/5,000 and closed the loop at $5,228. The circa 1960 example, titled “Femme, Oiseaux et Etoile,” was rendered in grey, brown, black, white and red. It was produced on Rives BFK paper, signed and numbered 41/300 in pencil, and had an image size of 23½ by 18¾ inches.
Marc Chagall’s (1887-1985) “Daphnis et Gnathon” was estimated at $2/4,000 and sold for $8,400. This work was signed by the artist on its lower right, numbered 26/60 on its lower left, and had a sight size of 19 by 14 inches.
Salvador Dali’s (1904-1989) “Manhattan Skyline” was estimated at $2/4,000 and traded hands at $5,700. Dated 1976, this nighttime image was an E.A. edition, produced on Arches paper and signed by the artist lower right.
Three Hal Foster (1892-1982) Prince Valiant Sunday comic strip panels, estimated at $1/2,000, realized $4,480. These pen and ink on paper illustrations measured 9 by 10½ inches each. This legacy cartoon debuted in 1937 and still runs weekly in more than 300 American newspapers nearly nine decades onward.
A Philip and Kelvin Laverne “Les Femmes” coffee cocktail table was estimated at $8/12,000 and sold for $12,160.
This sale rounded out with premier audio equipment and other furnishings. A pair of KR Enterprise VT800 MK Monoblock power amplifiers was estimated at $500/700 and scored $3,840. These Czech Republic-made amps measured 10 by 14 by 20 inches each.
A pair of Klipsch AA-type corner speakers made in Indianapolis was estimated at $1/2,000 and made $5,625. And a custom Sunlight/Duelund SE308/Fostex TA90AES high-efficiency, full-range system, delivered $4,375. The speakers measured 41 inches and were housed in bespoke walnut enclosures built by John Kalinowski.
Said Eddie Nadeau, president of Nadeau’s Auction Gallery, “We are delighted with the results of this exciting early winter auction. Despite the cold and gloomy weather, our gallery was hopping with live bidders and excitement throughout the entire sale. Every auction offers surprises, and for this event, it just might be the collection of premier audio equipment. Many lots brought double, triple or more of their high auction estimates. It all sounds good to me! Mark your calendars for our next sale, our contemporary monthly auction, to be conducted on February 25 at 10 am EST. More fun and surprises are guaranteed!”
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. For more information, www.nadeausauction.com or 860-246-2444.
