DALLAS, TX.- In 1976, when she was just 28 years old, Jenette Kahn joined DC Comics as a publisher, the youngest executive at Warner Brothers and the first woman to hold that position. She would revolutionize the storied comics house with sophisticated story lines and elevated production values, ultimately creating the genre that became known as "graphic novels" and transforming permanently this distinctly American art form. In her private life, Kahn brought this same visionary energy to her legendary 1891 home on Strivers' Row in Harlem, which she shared with her partner Al Williams, an artist, designer and internationally ranked chess player, for more than three decades.

Kahn and Williams assembled a collection of art and design objects that energized every corner of their home, creating a private world not bound to any one style, but capable of drama and comedy both in its décor. Each room was a deliberate mix of "low" pop culture combined with "high" contemporary art, a tribute to their own boundless imaginations as well as their generous, open-minded embrace of talented artists and designers.

"Jenette Kahn and Al Williams made their Harlem townhouse into a salon of emerging artists and designers, and surrounded themselves with works by friends like Carrie Mae Weems, Ingo Maurer, Fernando and Humberto Campana and many others," says Michael Hartman, Director of Design at Heritage Auctions. "They are sending these works back out into the world with gratitude for the relationships they represent, and Heritage is proud to present this stunning group of contemporary works to new eyes."

In the morning of May 15, Heritage presents Where Magic Begins: The Collection of Jenette Kahn and Al Williams, featuring selections from the couple's storied art and design collection. Many of the artworks tie back to Jenette's long relationship with the experimental contemporary art space Exit Art, including a trio of animation-inspired works by the artist Joyce Pensato. Others, like the Catwoman Chaise and Batman Chair by designer Alex Locadia, hearken back to Jenette's role in helping bring Batman to the big screen in the 1989 film starring Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker.

Jenette and Al's close relationship with furniture designers Fernando and Humberto Campana resulted in a variety of rare prototypes, including the Jenette Chair, a theatrical chair that perfectly captured both the "sexy madness" of the couple's dining room as well as "the vibrant brilliance of the woman herself," says curator James Zemaitis. He adds that for the chair, "30,000 feet of PVC bristle was manufactured in New York. A Mennonite woodworker who worked for Knoll made the seats. The Jenette chair was a cross-cultural exchange of the highest order." The Bubble Wrap Chair, another iconic Campana Brothers design which Jenette acquired directly from the designers after its 1998 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, is also included in the auction.

Rounding out the morning event are four pieces of Memphis furniture from Karl Lagerfeld's famed Monaco apartment, which he decorated exclusively in Memphis designs, and which Jenette acquired from Lagerfeld's auction of the contents of his apartment in 1990.

In the afternoon of May 15, Heritage presents its Design Signature® Auction, with a diverse group of objects from the earliest years of Art Deco to the present era.

Notable highlights from the afternoon sale include a sculptural Chardon Mirror circa 1955. Designed by Line Vautrin in her signature Talosel resin, the mirror is more of an elegant sculpture than a mere looking-glass, with shards of amethyst-colored glass embedded into the frame. Also from the 1950s are two mosaics by the Los Angeles designer Evelyn Ackerman, including a version of a mosaic in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. These mosaics, distinctive examples of California mid-century design, are fresh to the market from the same longtime family collection.

This auction also features a fabulous collection of seven lots of furniture by the legendary designers George Nakashima and Mira Nakashima, including two stunning freeform examples: a Minguren I Dining Table in burl oak, and an exceptional Minguren I Coffee Table made from Oregon Myrtlewood burl and American black walnut. Rounding out the Nakashima group is a sleek mid-century single-arm settee from 1959.

The sale also has an impressive selection of 19 lots of Chihuly glass. With more than 300 works on offer, these back-to-back design events include an array of exceptional offerings.