The fall auction starts with approximately 670 select items from the history of 20th- and 21st-century design.

The auction kicks off with the colorful designs of Italian designer Gaetano Pesce. A particularly striking example of his experimental approach to materials and form is his ‘Shadow’ design (Cat. No. 10). Designed in 2007, this armchair turns the user into a co-creator of the object: The polyurethane foam expands freely within the coated fabric cover and only takes on its individual shape upon contact with the body. The bright green armchair is estimated at €3,000 to €5,000.

With 15 designs, Munich-based lighting designer Ingo Maurer is prominently represented in German postwar design. Two lamps from the ‘Uchiwa’ series are in particularly fine condition: a large ‘Ju-Yon’ ceiling lamp (Cat. No. 209) with 14 rice-paper panels and a ‘Hana I’ (Cat. No. 210) are each estimated at €6,000. The auction also features two round ‘Schlitz Up’ light objects (Cat. Nos. 215–216). Designed by Ingo Maurer in 2002, these lamps have been on display at a well-known Munich daytime bar since 2003 and will now go under the hammer with an estimated price of €5,000 to €7,000.

A Wide Variety of Murano Glass on October 14

All the manufacturers are represented with significant designs – Venini, Barovier, Fratelli Toso, Seguso, Aureliano Toso and A.Ve.M. After the Second World War, fuelled by the economic boom and the influx of tourists to the lagoon city, Murano experienced an unparalleled surge in creativity: new techniques and decorative motifs, as well as bold colour combinations, came to dominate glass production. Unique artistic pieces are not only exhibited at art biennials but also marketed internationally. The most popular field of experimentation is and remains the vase – just as the chair is constantly being reinvented in design. But of course, it is not simply a matter of designing a container for flowers. It is about the form itself – at Venini, Fulvio Bianconi invented the ‘Forati’ series as well as the famous ‘Fazzoletti’, which are reminiscent of handkerchiefs unfolding. In this auction, Quittenbaum is offering a rare cube-shaped vase with raised shoulders by Fratelli Toso. Although the cuboid shape suggests heaviness, this vase is as light as a feather. Red glass with dark violet flecks fused into the body, underlaid with white; the small circular rim is accentuated in dark violet with scattered gold leaf. The craftsmanship and sophistication justify the estimated price of between €7,000 and 9,000.

From Classical Modernism to photography, fashion, and contemporary works—auction on October 14

Wilhelm Lehmbruck’s ‘Small Female Torso (Hagener Torso)’, dated circa 1910/11 (estimate € 8,000–12,000), represents a significant work of Classical Modernism. The human form lies at the heart of Lehmbruck’s work; for it, he developed a distinctive visual language situated between naturalistic observation and expressionist form-finding. In the ‘Small Female Torso’, the fragmentation of the body itself becomes a means of artistic expression – a concept that draws on both ancient sculptures and the modern sculpture of Auguste Rodin. The term ‘Hagener Torso’, commonly used today, refers to the collector and museum founder Karl Ernst Osthaus, who acquired a cast stone version for his collection in 1912.

A collection of 105 original fashion sketches by Wolfgang Joop from 1978–79 offers an unusual insight into another creative discipline (estimated price € 8,000–12,000). The designs were created in collaboration with Dauster KG in Wiesbaden, a company specialising in fur and leather fashion, and offer a glimpse into the designer’s early creative years, prior to his international breakthrough. These are authentic studio sketches, many of which bear handwritten notes on materials, workmanship and execution; some sheets also feature leather samples glued to them. As a complete collection, the drawings provide a clear insight into the journey from the initial creative concept to its craftsmanship and impressively document Joop’s early work as a fashion designer.