VIENNA.- Rarely is the combination of modern and applied art on the one hand and attractive investment opportunities on the other more fun than in the fertile field of design. Dorotheum design auctions regularly offer the perfect setting to enjoy this special alliance and the upcoming event on 3rd November 2016 will be no exception. Its comprehensive selection of international collector's items from the fin de siècle to the present day was put together by the category's new resident expert, Mathias Harnisch. Gerti Draxler will from here on be responsible for arranging special masterpiece auctions of her own (spring 2017).

The chronologically arranged catalogue takes us on a trip through the 20th century: Marking the beginning of modernity are Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos and Otto Prutscher - Hoffmann contributes a sideboard from the so-called "Poldi" chalet in Kladno/Czechia, the guest house of the steel magnate and art collector Karl Wittgenstein, father of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. A lamp shade and table set form this residence are in the collection of the Palais d’Orsay in Paris (€ 60,000 – 75,000). Two outstanding pieces by Otto Prutscher perfectly combine form and function: The rare dressing table Mod. No. 27045 was manufactured in 1908 by Thonet (€ 15,000 – 20,000); the fountain of 1909 by Michael Powolny on the other hand was made for "Wiener Keramikwerkstätten" (€ 40,000 – 65,000).

Other classics include works by Josef Frank – for „Haus und Garten“ (House & Garden) and Svensk Tenn, while the generation of successors is represented by Anna Lülja Praun, Roland Rainer and Carl Auböck, and current positions by Philip Aduatz, Christoph Luckender or Gabriel Wiese. The designer Philip Aduatz's Polymer chair appears to be coated in a layer of black chrome – one of twelve copies of the amorphous „Melting Chair“ (€ 8,000 -11,000).

This auction foregrounds furniture items by a number of designers from Scandinavian countries. A „PK-80“ Daybed of contemporary appearance by Poul Kjaerholm, actually dating to 1957 (€ 8,000 – 14,000) finds itself in the good company of four black stacking chairs by Verner Panton (€ 15,000 – 20,000), originally produced for Thonet. The selection is further enriched by a collection of Alvar Aalto furniture pieces – including a cupboard for the Paimio Sanatorium in Finland (€ 5,000 – 8,000).

No design event would be complete without Italy. One could do worse than spend the coming winter on the sofas or in the armchairs of Gio Pontis – or would the Egg-Chair by Danish designer Arne Jacobsen be more comfortable after all? Ettore Sottsass, meanwhile, brings something for everybody, including lamps, furniture, vases, and the odd totem.

The international selection features modern classics such as the 1986 „Well-tempered Chair“ by Ron Arad (€ 9,000 – 12,000) or Zaha Hadid's curving „Moraine“ sofa, and is round off by works by the Campana brothers or the futuristic seats made from cast-off ties by Amadou Fatoumata Bas.