New York, NY – On June 12th 2009, Sotheby’s New York will hold its sale of Important 20th Century Design which will included a unique offering by Frank Gehry, a Tuyomyo bench (est. $250/350,000)*. The sale takes a reverse chronological look at both American and European design in the past century starting with contemporary pieces and going all the way through to prewar designs. Highlights include works by Jean Prouvé, Herter Brothers, and Tiffany Studios. The overall pre-sale estimate for the 101 lots is $3.7/5.4 million.
James Zemaitis, Senior Vice President and Director of Sotheby’s 20th Century Design Department, noted, ““In addition to Tuyomyo, the contemporary design in the sale includes the prototype of one the most acclaimed designs of the decade, Joris Laarman’s “Heatwave” radiator, whose ceramic tendrils recall Art Nouveau’s embrace of the industrial age over a century ago. When you juxtapose this masterwork with the Trumpet Creeper lamp by Tiffany Studios at the end of the sale, we see how industrial design is cyclical, and that nature is reestablishing itself as a decorative presence in the 21st Century.”
Internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry created a work entitled Tuyomyo (yours and mine in Spanish) in collaboration with Emeco, the premier manufacturer of contemporary aluminum furniture. Standing three meters long but weighing only 122 pounds, the Tuyomyo bench was crafted using 80% recycled aluminum components and aircraft manufacturing technology. Proceeds from the sale of the work, which is estimated at $250/350,000,* will benefit the Hereditary Disease Foundation research fund established in 2008 in honor of Gehry’s late daughter - The Leslie Gehry Brenner Award for Innovation in Science. (Separate release available) Along with the Gehry work, there is a strong collection of contemporary design included pieces by Shiro Kuramata, Tom Sachs, and Olafur Eliasson. The ‘Miss Blanche’ chair by famed designer Shiro Kuramata is one of his most
sought-after pieces (est. $150/200,000). Designed in 1988, this armchair transcends the laws of gravity as imitation roses appear to float within a block of acrylic, giving an illusion of weightlessness to an object of serious substance. Kuramata’s chair pays homage to the dreamlike world of illusion inhabited by Blanche Dubois, the complex character at the heart of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire. Also included is a Prototype “Heatwave” Radiator built by Joris Laarman as his graduation project from the Eindoven Design Academy (est. $30/50,000). In designing the "Heatwave," Joris Laarman sought to take the often mundane concealed form of the radiator and elevate it to what he called "wall lingerie." The result is a truly sculptural expression, which also proposes a more technically efficient method of heat distribution. Examples of "Heatwave" have been shown in various exhibitions worldwide and are in a number of permanent collections at institutions, including the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and the Stedelijk Museum. In 2006, the model was given the Red Dot award for excellence in product design. Works by the late Francois-Xavier Lalanne are in great demand and the June sale will
