Akari Light Sculptures Illuminate

Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) was one of the 20th century’s most important and critically acclaimed sculptors. Through a lifetime of artistic experimentation, he created sculptures, gardens, furniture and lighting designs, ceramics, architecture, landscapes and set designs. His work was at once subtle and bold, traditional and modern. Noguchi’s Akari Light Sculptures are considered icons of modern design. Created by Noguchi beginning in 1951 and handmade for a half century by the original manufacturer in Gifu, Japan, the paper lanterns are a harmonious blend of Japanese handcraft and modernist form. A late March auction at Wright in Chicago, featuring more than 50 lots of early and rare examples, realized $646,721. Noguchi called his works Akari, a term meaning light as illumination, but also implying the idea of weightlessness. With the warm glow of light cast through handmade washi paper on a bamboo frame, Noguchi utilized traditional materials to bring modern design to the home. Like the beauty of falling leaves and the cherry blossom, Noguchi wrote, Akari are “poetic, ephemeral and tentative.”

 

 

At Home with Danish Modern Furniture

In real estate circles, mid-century modern homes in good condition command premium prices, especially if owners have preserved original details and treated the property with TLC. The same phenomenon applies to auctions involving mid-century modern furniture, as evidenced by a March 6 Gallery Auction event in Houston. A well-kept three-piece sofa set by Ekornes, a […]

Unforgettable Desks? We Have Them

A recent “Design” auction at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) featured several desks created by prominent midcentury modern designers including Gio Ponti, Paul Evans and George Nelson. The collection was owned by the late Peter Loughrey, a collector, curator and founder of LAMA who frequently appeared on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow. Giovanni “Gio” Ponti (1891–1979) was […]

Sleaze Art

Sleaze appeal. Midcentury modern design is one of the biggest trends in collecting. Is it appealing because it now seems old-fashioned; maybe a relic of a simpler, more innocent time? Think again! The sleaze art of the period is catching on. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, writers of popular fiction were drawn to the new field of sleaze publishing, which had a rapidly growing market and paid more than science fiction. Writers tended to stay anonymous or use pseudonyms, so the books’ cover art captured customers’ attention. Books would be reprinted with new cover illustrations every 30 days, creating a need for artists. The artists, who, like the writers, used pseudonyms or left their names off their work, put their training and anatomical knowledge to work creating designs that stopped short of being explicit. While publishing has changed since then, the amount of book covers produced and their eye-catching designs appeal to collectors of books and ephemera today.

 

High-Style Designs by Tommi Parzinger  

German modernist designer Tommi Parzinger (1903–1981) created furniture and lighting for affluent buyers. His most popular pieces were made in the late 1940s and ’50s and get high bids at auction. A recent sale at Palm Beach Modern in Florida offered more than a dozen iconic Parzinger pieces. Included was a white console table made […]

Walter Lamb Furniture

With outdoor entertaining undergoing a resurgence, iconic midcentury outdoor furniture is getting more attention. Furniture designed by Walter Lamb is considered some of the best from that era. Starting in 1947, Lamb designed patio and yard furniture with distinctive curved lines and durable materials for Brown Jordan, a company founded in 1945. Brown Jordan, still in […]

Midcentury Modern Storage Furniture

Finding enough storage is always challenging. Midcentury cabinets, drawers, and shelves by known designers are hot right now. They easily blend into most interiors and good prices can be found at auction. Wright in Chicago included a selection of modern storage pieces by midcentury designers like Eames and Nelson. Most sold for under $2,000. Husband […]

Midcentury Modern Furniture (1950s-’60s)

Q: I’ve heard that 1950s-’60s furniture is now collectible. We have a coffee table stamped “Declaration by Drexel” on the bottom. It also has numbers and “3/61.” There is a circle of 12 inlaid wood dots in the middle of the top. The top is 60 inches by 22 inches and the table is about 15 inches high. What is it worth?

A: Midcentury modern is collectible now. It seems people want what their grandparents had, not what they grew up with. The Declaration line of Drexel furniture included dining room, living room, and bedroom furniture. It was designed by Kipp Stewart and Stewart McDougall, popular California designers. Drexel Furniture Co. was founded in Drexel, N.C., in 1903. Drexel is now part of the Heritage Home Group in High Point, N.C., and the brand is called Drexel Heritage. The numbers indicate your walnut table with rosewood inlay was made in March 1961. If it’s in good condition, it will sell for a good price, but prices vary depending on where it’s sold. Some dealers in midcentury modern pieces price this table at over $1,000, but one sold at auction a few years ago for $275 and it’s been offered online for less.