The Louis Daniel Brodsky Collection of Art Nouveau sold by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers garnered significant international interest. The consignment from St. Louis, Missouri saw aggressive phone and online bidding from 15 countries in addition to a full, engaged room. The auction achieved an impressive total of $1,049,319, nearly doubling the pre-sale estimate, selling all 347 lots offered for a sell-through rate of 100%.

The sale was led by Émile Gallé, French and Spanish Art Nouveau furniture that included a French Art Nouveau rosewood vitrine that sold for $35,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $8,000/12,000, an Émile Gallé various woods marquetry cabinet that sold for $35,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $5,000/7,000 and a French Art Nouveau walnut pedestal table that sold for $23,750 against a pre-sale estimate of $8,000/12,000.

Also drawing competitive bids were Art Nouveau posters by Henri Privat-Livemont, Fernand Toussaint, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. Of note is Divan Japonais, 1892-93, by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, which sold for $30,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $10,000/20,000, Cycles Perfecta, 1897, by Alphonse Mucha, which sold for $25,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $10,000/20,000 and Job, 1896, by Alphonse Mucha, which sold for $25,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $10,000/15,000.

In addition to desirable fine art and furniture, Mr. Bodsky’s collection featured various glass, silver and bronze items that all sold well. Enthusiasm in these categories can be represented by a French cameo glass and bronze table lamp that drew $23,750 against a pre-sale estimate of $1,500/2,500, an Art Nouveau slag glass and gilt bronze chandelier that drew $27,500 against a pre-sale estimate of $4,000/6,000 and an Émile Gallé enameled glass vase that sold for $10,625 against a pre-sale estimate of $3,000/5,000. Buyers globally were eager to participate in this sale that offered a comprehensive and representative collection of the Art Nouveau period.

Mr. Brodsky was a prolific poet, businessman, scholar and collector. He authored eighty-four volumes of poetry (five of which have been published in French by Éditions Gallimard) and twenty-five volumes of prose, including nine books of scholarship on William Faulkner and nine books of short fiction. Mr. Brodsky also enjoyed a lifelong interest in collecting and built several collections during his lifetime. He had a love of the Art Nouveau period his entire life and became a meticulous collector concerned with acquiring only the highest quality and exceptionally rare items.

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ Louis Daniel Brodsky Collection of Art Nouveau 22 Feb 2015

• Total: $1,049,319
• Pre-sale estimate: $437,570-$693,430
• Lots sold / lots offered: 347 / 347
• Sell-through rate: 100%