NEW YORK, NY.- Christies New Yorks Spring 20th Century Decorative Art & Design sale takes place June 2 and will provide an array of exciting and appealing works from all the major movements of the 20th century, exemplifying the most creative and captivating designs that spanned the century. This carefully edited sale will feature around 100 lots with estimates ranging from $2,000 120,000.
Highlighting the sale is a superb group of seven lots featuring architectural elements from Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivans Chicago Stock Exchange Building, which range in estimate from $4,000-30,000.
Emblematic of the refined elegance of the Art Nouveau period is a 'Mistletoe' Table by the renowned ébéniste, Louis Majorelle. The stunning mahogany, burl walnut and gilt-bronze table is expected to fetch $35,000-55,000.
Additional highlights include three works by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, among which are two extraordinary topiaries; Dimétrodon II (estimate: $80,000-120,000), and Tortue Topiare III (estimate: $20,000-30,000). In 1989, the Lalannes had won a competition for which they created six large-scale topiaries for public spaces in Santa Monica, California. Dimétrodon II is reminiscent of one of the Santa Monica works. The third Lalanne lot offered is the sales cover lot, Guépard, tête de coté, a patinated bronze cheetah (estimate $80,000-120,000).
Several ravishing Line Vautrin mirrors are on offer including Ombelle, circa 1964 (estimate: $40,000-60,000), and a large Tudor mirror from 1956 (estimate: $20,000-30,000).
Symbolic of 20th century progress and the golden age of airships are two works, which exemplify how aviation captured the spirit and imagination of the World War II generation. The magnificent Silvered-Bronze Champagne Cooler Trophy for the `Challenge Aérophile of L'Aérophile Magazine', 1943 (estimate: $12,000-15,000) was originally awarded by the French magazine to Louis Blériot, who had come to instant fame for being the first pilot to successfully complete a flight across the English Channel in 1909. Another elegant example is a walnut wind tunnel model of an MB 175 by Marcel (Bloch) Dassaults from circa 1939 (estimate: $20,000-30,000).
The sale also boasts a fine selection of Scandinavian furniture including a Finn Juhl Upholstered Teak Three-Seater Sofa, circa 1950 (estimate: $7,000-9,000), three Glazed Ceramic Vases from Stig Lindberg from the 1950s (estimate for each: $4,000-6,000), and a pair of Patinated Bronze Five-Light Candelabra from 1925 by Just Andersen (estimate: $15,000-20,000).
Celebrating the Oscar-winning Spanish actress Penelope Cruz is the Transfer Printed Steel Cabinet (estimate: $6,000-8,000), which resulted from a collaborative effort in 2004 by the Italian artist Mimmo Rotella and designer Marco Ferreri. Ferreri created the sideboard while Rotella signed for the visual imagery, which incorporates a Vanity Fair magazine cover of Cruz.
The sale will end with a selection of works on paper by Rene Gruau, which range in estimate from $10,000 to 50,000.