Two Sales Midcentury Lovers Can't Miss
Lovers of midcentury design should have their eyes on Paris this week. On Wednesday, February 22, the French auction house Piasa will run two simultaneous sales, one of Scandinavian design , which includes works by the likes of Frits Henningsen, Finn Juhl, and Alvar Aalto, and one from a private Belgian collection . The latter is a veritable trove of unusual pieces by Carl Auböck, Hans J. Wegner, Luis Barragán, and more. Together, the two sales span decades of creation by some of the most formative minds of the modernist movement and comprise art, furniture, lighting, and accessories. Piasa offers live online bidding, so interested Americans have a chance to scoop up these treasures from their desks. If nothing else, though, bookmark the dual sales for a crash course in global modern design. Click through for a selection of top lots.
Chairs by, from left, Hans J. Wegner , Ole Wanscher , Vilhelm Wohler , Hans J. Wegner , and Axel Einar Hjorth , all part of the Scandinavian Design sale.
A table (est. $73,852–$94,952) and benches (est. $26,375–$36,925) by Luis Barragán from la Cuadra San Cristóbal—the iconic, colorful home the Mexican architect created for his friend Folke Egerström—are standout lots of the Belgian Collection sale.
The Belgian Collection also includes several early objects by Austrian designer Carl Auböck. The glass caddy, ice bucket, coasters, and corkscrews shown have estimates ranging from $211 to $633.
Hans J. Wegner's Valet chair , circa 1953, from the Belgian Collection sale; est. $6,330–$9,495.
This aluminum armchair by Austrian artist and designer Franz West, another offering in the Belgian Collection, exemplifies his unique approach to materials; est. $73,852–$94,952.
The Franz West chair on display at Piasa's rue Saint-Honoré headquarters along with a gold box by Philip Michael Wolfson (est. $3,165–$4,220) and a Bruce Nauman lithograph (est. $4,220–$6,329).
Hans J. Wegner's circa-1950 Flag Halyard chair from the Belgian Collection is expected to fetch between $8,439 and $12,659.
A 1940s Bruno Mathsson chair and ottoman (est. $1,582–$2,637) are pictured with a 1968 Andy Warhol screen print (est. $21,098–$31,647).