Phillips Announces Highlights from June Design Auction, Featuring Important 20th and 21st Century Makers

Featuring a Diverse Array of Works, Including Gio Ponti, Paul Evans, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, and Louis Majorelle

Phillips has announced a selection of highlights from the New York spring Design auction at 432 Park Avenue on 8 June. The range of material on offer, in both geography and time period, testifies to the diversity of the Design category and the remarkable talent of designers across the globe. Including over 100 works that span the 20th and 21st centuries, the sale includes works from notable makers such as Gio Ponti, Paul Evans, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Louis Majorelle, José Zanine Caldas, and Jean Prouvé, among many others.

Cordelia Lembo, Head of Design, New York, said, “We are proud to host our June Design auction with such a remarkable array of works. It is always a priority for Phillips to showcase the breadth and depth of talent that this category has to offer, and the June sale is no exception. With works spanning over 100 years, from French Art Nouveau lighting and Italian design to American Studio Craft and Brazilian design, the sale reflects the vibrant and diverse preferences of our international collector base as well as Phillips’ recognition for offering artists previously underrepresented on the secondary market. We look forward to welcoming those in New York through the exhibition and to the live auction itself on 8 June.”

The Phillips team is proud to announce works by Joyce Anderson, Diane Itter, and Gloria Kisch, each of whom are being offered for the first time in a Phillips sale. Anderson—who, in the 1950s, went from assisting her husband Edgar to becoming his equal collaborator—was a designer and woodworker in her own right and an influential member of the burgeoning craft movement in post-war America. Her expert craftmanship is nowhere better exemplified than in the walnut cabinet with an inlaid stone mosaic top that we are delighted to offer. Itter, while an important member of the 1960s and 1970s fiber art movement, was unique among her contemporaries for her focus on vibrantly dyed thread which she employed with intricate knotting techniques to create intimately scaled and highly detailed works. The auction includes two knotted linen pieces that exemplify this practice. Kisch, a sculptor first, began to create functional works in the ‘80s which blurred the lines between art and design. “In the Mirror,” is a whimsical and truly original take on an entryway staple, the coatrack. Each of these designers is currently experiencing a renaissance with new interest being paid to their contributions to design history.

Leading the sale is a panel from the Delaware Valley modernist Paul Evans with a rare two-sided “Sculpture Front” screen from 1966. This is a rare example of a standalone Evans screen with gilt and painted steel decorations on both sides. Originally intended to float suspended on a metal frame, the screen is an imposing and historically significant work. Other artists in the lineup from this region include Harry Bertoia and George Nakashima. Bertoia is represented by an exceptional two-rod Sonambient which stands impressively at 100 inches high and comes from the distinguished collection of Gabriele and Robert Lee.