NEW YORK, 2 JUNE 2016 – Sotheby’s annual spring sale of Important Design on 7 June 2016 will offer a selection of American and European masterworks spanning the last 100 years, featuring an extraordinary collection of Venetian Glass from an Important New York Collection. Comprising over 60 works, this encyclopedic group assembled in the early 1990s features many rare pieces by glass masters Fulvio Bianconi, Paolo Venini and Carlo Scarpa. The exhibition will open to the public on 3 June, alongside the exhibition of WYETH: The Art of Timeless Design.

MASTERWORKS OF VENETIAN GLASS FROM AN IMPORTANT NEW YORK COLLECTION In the early 1980s, Italian glass became recognized as a collector’s field when a handful of institutions and collectors took notice of the quality and historical importance of the subject. Led by an impeccable eye and passion for knowledge, the collector of this present group sought the rarest and most historical works in building this collection. Paolo Venini’s “Murrine a Damo” Vase (estimate: $30,000-40,000) and Ecola Barovier’s An Important “Grappoli D’Uva” Vase (estimate: $40,000-60,000) are prime examples of the collector’s keen eye for rarity and distinguished provenance.

MORE ON MASTERWORKS OF VENETIAN GLASS FROM AN IMPORTANT NEW YORK COLLECTION ON SOTHEBY’S BLOG

IMPORTANT TIFFANY
Artist, civic leader and philanthropist, Lindsay Morgenthaler has been a lifelong admirer of works by Tiffany Studios. Mrs. Morgenthaler started her collection by purchasing this ‘Peony’ Table Lamp to bring the beauty of her vast garden into the home’s interior (estimate: $180,000-240,000). In 1983 she found a kindred spirit in Charles Maurer, an industrialist from Cleveland and lifelong collector of Tiffany glass. Over the next 20 years the two would work closely together to assemble her extensive collection and shared passion for Tiffany.

Alan Bernstein was encouraged by his parents from a young age to cultivate a keen eye for rarity and quality. It wasn’t until his early 30s that he turned his attention to Tiffany glass. For the next 50 years, Mr. Bernstein amassed a collection that included examples of almost every technique from Tiffany’s oeuvre, including this rare “Anemone” Paperweight Vase (estimate: $30,000-50,000).

FRENCH ART DECO
An Important and Rare ‘Le Jour et la Nuit’ Clock is celebrated today as one of René Lalique’s masterworks (estimate: $100,000-150,000). When released, the clock was Lalique’s most expensive timepiece, at 3,500 francs. Less than 30 examples of the model are known to exist, the majority of which are in grey glass. The present example’s use of blue glass is extremely rare.

Considered one of the best lacquer artist of the Art Deco period, Jean Dunand’s “Biches dans la Forêrt” and “Herbes” Four Panel Screen from the collection of Charles Evans is a prime example of the designers technical skill (estimate: $90,000-120,000). The elegant form and highly-stylized lacquer designs are emblematic of Dunand’s work, referring to the aesthetic favored by the avant-garde of the time, from Cubism to Italian Futurism.

IMPORTANT WORKS FROM CASA ENCANTADA
In his design for Casa Encantada – one of the most important commissions of his career – Robsjohn-Gibbings blended Neoclassical, Egyptians Rival and Greco-Roman inspirations into a single interior to capture the essence of timeless design. The present offering is an unprecedented opportunity to acquire works like An Important Console Table from Casa Encatada, Bel Air California, acquired at Sotheby’s in 1981 (estimate $80,000-120,000).

IMPORTANT MODERN AMERICAN DESIGN
Paul Evans’s “Sculpture-Front” series is the most well-known and arguably most celebrated body of work by the artist. The sculpted steel technique that Evans presented in 1961 at America House in Manhattan was received with great enthusiasm, translating into many special commissions of the design from smaller-scaled pieces to large format pieces like the present work “Sculpture-Front” Cabinet (estimate: $100,000-150,000).

ICONIC WORKS BY LALANNE
François-Xavier Lalanne’s “Brebis,” “Bélier,” and “Agneau” from the “Nouveaux Moutons” Series leads a strong selection of 6 works by the artist on offer from an Important American Collection (estimate $300,000-500,000). Each work in the collection, including Claude Lalanne’s Lustre “Structure Végétale”, illustrates the couples’ poetic and Surrealist sculpture (estimate: $200,000-300,000).