That Groaning Sound Is My Credit Card…
Charles Eames rocker 1950s, American. Estimate: £500-700
You know what it’s like, you move into a new house and none of your old furniture goes anymore… what to do? Well, if you are Michael and Gabrielle Boyd and you number many of the key works of twentieth century design in your collection, you put on the mother of all yard sales at Christie’s
Prolific Californian collectors whose donations are in the permanent collections of both the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Boyds recently finished restoring the Strick House in Santa Monica, California, the only North American house by architect Oscar Niemeyer. This has prompted a “re-assessment” of their enormous collection resulting in the Christie’s sale of over 300 items from furniture, decorative arts and lighting, through to photography, jewellery and garden furnishings, with estimates from £100 – £10,000.
Among the items included will be:
Storage cabinet by Charles Eames & George Nelson
Estimate: £4,000-6,000
Pair of lounge chairs designed by Charles Eames and with upholstery by Alexander Girard
Estimate: £1,500-2,000
Upholstered stool by Charles Eames
Estimate: £1,000-1,500
A set of chequer cushions by Alexander Girard
Estimate: £700-900
Roger Tallon, aluminium stool, 1977, French
Estimate: £1,200-1,800
Group Shot of California Design (front cover of the catalogue) comprising:
Henrik van Keppel 1950s chaise
Estimate: £1,000-1,500
A pair of Architectural Pottery planters 1960s (two showing from a group of 15)
Estimate: £1,500-2,000
An unusual garden sculpture attributed to Douglas Davis for Architectural Pottery, 1960s Estimate: £3,000-5,000).
Plus all sorts of other oddities including an official NASA photo of the moon landing (which you can examine for signs of early Photoshopping…), a selection of Warhol memorabilia and this collection of 25 microphones dating from the 30s to the 60s. Estimate: £800-1,200
Now all we need to do is forego eating for the rest of the year and we can get shopping…
A Californian Private Collection of Design is at Christie’s South Kensington, London on Sunday 18 November 2007, 11.30am
The items for sale are on public view from From Friday 16 November, 9am
All pictures © Christie’s Images Limited
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