Schools of Design

This year's highlight auction, “Schools of Design,” kicks off with an ensemble of exceptional art-historical significance. The furniture designed by Henry van de Velde for Else von Guaita-Lampe (cat. nos. 395–404) is one of the most impressive examples of the close connection between artistic vision and personal relationships that characterizes van de Velde's work. The Belgian artist designed a self-contained interior for his former student that exemplifies his ideal of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art. After passing through the hands of the Kröller-Müller family and their advisor Sam van Deventer, this ensemble is now on display in its entirety in our showroom at Theresienstraße 58.

The reception room by Peter Behrens from 1906 follows another outstanding chapter in early modernism. Designed for the Third German Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Dresden, the ensemble displays Behrens' clear architectural signature, in which he already developed the formal coherence that paved the way for his later transition to industrial architecture. The four-piece furnishings from the reception room, valued at EUR 50,000 to EUR 70,000, impressively illustrate the aspiration to understand architecture and interior design as a harmonious unity.

The Hoge Stoel (cat. no. 423), designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1919, is an absolute rarity. The design was first published in 1920 in the magazine De Stijl. Only two other similar examples are known to exist worldwide—one in the Centraalmuseum in Utrecht and another in a Japanese collection. The piece offered here displays the clarity of form and proportion typical of the Dutch avant-garde, which is still considered a symbol of the De Stijl movement today. The chair, probably made between 1919 and 1923, has an estimate of EUR 46,000.

Another milestone in early functional design is Marcel Breuer's slatted chair. Born in Pécs in 1902, the designer developed the design during his apprenticeship in the carpentry workshop of the Bauhaus Weimar around 1922. The second version offered here is characterized by the use of wooden slats of the same cross-section and a reinforced backrest – an important step on the way to Breuer's later structural innovations with tubular steel.

With Finn Juhl's “Chieftain Chair” (cat. no. 466) from 1949, the auction presents one of the most iconic pieces of seating furniture in Scandinavian design. Inspired by modern art and archaic forms, Juhl combines organic lines with precise craftsmanship in this design. The armchair on offer was made in Copenhagen in the early 1970s by Ivan Schlechter and marks the transition to a new, sculptural design language that made Danish design internationally renowned.

A special section of the auction is dedicated to Italian postmodernism. The Milanese Alchimia movement, founded in 1976 by Alessandro Guerriero and his sister Adriana, radically challenged functionalist modernism with its designs. Alessandro Mendini, one of its leading representatives, understood design as an artistic process and an expression of individual style. The table and chair “Spaziale” (cat. nos. 502 and 503) on offer were shown in 1982 in the exhibition La stanza da manuale in Bologna and are characteristic examples of the group's ironic and poetic attitude. Both items are estimated at EUR 40,000 to EUR 60,000 each.

The line of great design icons continues into the present with the “Hysterie” changing room by Australian designer Marc Newson from 1992. Made of aluminum and mounted on casters, the cabin was custom-designed for the Frankfurt boutique Hysterie, of which only three examples exist. It already displays the futuristic, organic design language that would come to characterize Newson's later work.

Five objects from Dan Friedman's “Folly” series (cat. nos. 557 to 561) are also on offer. Produced around 1992 by Alessio Sarri Cheramiche, these objects are reversible and therefore versatile; whether used as sculptures or flower pots, these terracotta objects are sure to catch the eye.

The offering is rounded off by a chapter on Gaetano Pesce, whose works are known for their expressive character and humorous individuality. The table “Sansone” (cat. no. 520), estimated at EUR 6,000 to EUR 8,000, and two “Nobody's Chairs” from the collaboration between Zerodisegno and Etro (2003), Pesce's credo of viewing each object as unique becomes apparent – an ideal conclusion to an auction that encompasses more than a century of design history in all its diversity.

Post Auction Report of Auction 'Schools of Design' on Decmeber 10, 2025

This year's ‘Schools of Design’ auction was rich in significant designs, spanning from Art Nouveau to contemporary 21st-century creations. Henry van de Velde, an important pioneer of modern design, was represented with a dining room ensemble, silver objects, and rare jewelry, which almost without exception attracted keen interest from specialist collectors and museums.

The designs by Dutch architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld in particular sparked exciting bidding wars. The extremely rare ‘Hoge Stoel’ armchair, made between 1919 and 1923, changed hands for a hammer price of €65,000. Lot number 422, a geometric-abstract ‘L40’ ceiling lamp, was equally interesting. With a hammer price of €27,000, it sold for seven times its estimated price of €4,000.

Italian design also achieved excellent results; the ‘Pallavah’ table lamp by Ettore Sottsass (lot 528) proved very popular, finally going under the hammer for €3,600 to an Austrian private collector. The ‘Speziale’ chair and table (lots 502 and 503) by Alessandro Mendini, first presented in 1982 at the ‘La stanza da manuale’ exhibition in Bologna, are now changing hands for €30,000 each.

The designs of the designer duo Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonnetti have been enjoying great popularity for some time now. The extravagant ‘Masque’ table lamp was hotly contested. With an estimate of €5,000, the hammer finally fell at €15,000 after a lively bidding war and went to a bidder on our Quittenbaum Live platform.

All unsold items will be available in our post-sale until January 9, 2026. Quittenbaum Kunstauktionen looks forward to welcoming you to our next design auction in March 2026.