RADICAL BEAUTIES
Important Design from a Private Collection

When nearly 260 lots go under the hammer on June 17 under the title “Radically Beautiful: Significant Design from a Private Collection,” the focus will be not only on a wonderful selection of international design classics but also on the story of a collection passionately built up by a German couple of collectors. One of the motivations for these two successful design enthusiasts—who, over a period of forty years, visited galleries, studied catalogs, and traveled in search of their personal favorite pieces—was their delight in objects with a clear aesthetic and compelling narrative power. Some objects in the collection have been exhibited in museums in the past, were part of the 2002 Expo in Hanover, and can be seen in an award-winning short film, which can be viewed in segments via QR codes in the auction catalog. “After forty years of collecting, we are sending our favorite pieces back into the world where we found them.”

Taken as a whole, the collection up for auction offers an impressively multifaceted panorama of international design history. American mid-century design is represented by 20 lots by Charles and Ray Eames. The designer couple had a decisive influence on the design language of the 20th century. Among the top lots is “La Chaise,” an armchair designed in 1948 for a competition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which was not mass-produced until 1991. The example offered by Vitra, made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic, chrome-plated steel rods, and oak, is estimated at €3,200–4,000. Early Eames models in particular are sought after by collectors for their unique material effects and tactile qualities. The ‘PAW Chair’ (Pivoting Armchair Wood) with an early Zenith shell is valued at €1,500–2,000, while the ‘PKW-2’ (Pivoting K-Wire on wooden base) is valued at €2,000–2,500.

One of the focal points is the work of Ettore Sottsass, the grand seigneur of Italian design. Sottsass’s career spanned from his collaboration with Olivetti, through the design of numerous ceramic objects, to the founding of the Memphis group in 1980/1981. His designs combine architectural clarity with the use of color, often to achieve a symbolic expressiveness. Sottsass is represented in the auction by, among other pieces, the “Nairobi” cabinet, a design from around 1989 for Zanotta. The red and black lacquered wooden box construction bears a handwritten inscription and is estimated at €4,200–5,000. Also from his hand is the “Memphis 1 TVC 26” television, designed in 1980 for Brionvega, featuring green-and-black laminate and the manufacturer’s mark. The estimated price is €3,000–3,500.

A classic of design history is the ‘Valentine’ travel typewriter for Olivetti, designed by Ettore Sottsass and Perry A. King. Created in 1969, the model is still considered the epitome of innovative product design. While the red version became world-famous, other color variants are significantly rarer. The blue and green “Valentine” typewriters, offered in the auction with estimated prices of €2,500–3,000 each, were used exclusively in Olivetti showrooms in Italy (green) and France (blue) and were not originally intended for resale.

Gufram occupies a unique position within the collection. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Italian brand translated Pop Art and inspirations from the artistic avant-garde into home furnishings. Particularly iconic is the “Cactus” coat rack by Guido Drocco and Franco Mello, designed in 1972, made of polyurethane foam with a green Guflac coating. Two of these extraordinary pieces will be offered at the auction with estimated prices of €3,000–€3,800; one of them is still in its original packaging and comes with an original certificate. Also from Gufram is the ‘Torneraj’ seating piece by Giorgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi, and Riccardo Rosso, a design from 1969. The red-and-white lacquered object made of polyurethane foam combines sculptural presence with surprising seating comfort and exemplifies the experimental spirit that makes Italian Radical Design so distinctive. The estimated price is €3,000–4,000.

Achille Castiglioni, one of the leading figures of Italian post-war modernism, is represented in the collection. Castiglioni knew how to combine technical precision with the charm of everyday objects. The collection includes works such as the ‘RR126’ stereo system in three different color variations, with estimated prices of €2,000–3,000, as well as the ‘Allunaggio’ outdoor stool; estimated at €600–700.

Joe Colombo’s designs, some of which have a futuristic feel, are also well-represented in the auction: his furniture from the 1960s and early 1970s illustrates his pursuit of a mobile lifestyle. This is evident in Colombo’s “Tube Chair,” designed for Flexform in 1969. The chair consists of four upholstered tubes of varying dimensions that can be nested inside one another and transported in a linen bag. The lot offered, complete with its original packaging bag, is estimated at €4,000–5,000.

The Memphis group is prominently represented. Founded in 1980/1981 in Milan around Sottsass, Michele de Lucchi, Marco Zanini, and Matteo Thun, the group made design history with colorful laminated surfaces and a demonstrative departure from functionalism. Works from this milieu include pieces by Shiro Kuramata, whose “Ritz” desk has been preserved in its original Memphis shipping crate, as well as the “Astor” table lamp by Thomas Bley, the only German designer in the Memphis circle.

Gaetano Pesce occupies another prominent position. The “Sansone II” table, designed for Cassina in 1987, is estimated at €5,000–6,000. Also on offer is the monumental seating object ‘UP7 – Il Piede,’ designed for B&B Italia in 1969. The oversized foot made of black-coated polyurethane foam is at once a piece of furniture, a sculpture, and a pop statement; the estimated price is €2,000–4,000.

The selection also includes designs by Dieter Rams, Hans Gugelot, Richard Sapper, Mackintosh, and Rietveld, to name just a few. We look forward to welcoming you to the auction preview from June 11 to 15.