Sotheby’s London, November 2016: The second edition of Sotheby’s relaunched Design sales in London totalled £1,978,938 (est. £1.7- 2.4m) – reaffirming the position of the capital at the heart of the design world. The auction was led by a record for an innovative collaboration between Industrial Designer Terence Woodgate and Design Engineer John Barnard as fierce bidding for Prototype ‘Surface Table’ propelled the piece to over five times its estimate at £236,750 (est. £40,000-60,000).

Further records included a unique and distinctive contemporary form by Achille Salvagni, as Prototype ‘Gio’ Cabinet tripled its estimate to sell for £112,500 (est. £30,000-50,000). A further auction record was achieved for Spanish contemporary designer Nacho Carbonell, as his ‘Evolution’ Bench, an answer to those seeking solitude from a frenetic outside world, sold for £62,500.

“Following the resounding success of last week’s sale of revolutionary Memphis design from the personal collection of David Bowie, today’s auction built on the growing position of London as the heart of the global design scene. Just like the city itself, our London Design sale is developing its own unique character, and today works of Contemporary Design truly stepped in the spotlight. The overwhelming majority of the successful bidders were private collectors, reaffirming the growing trend of people buying works to live with in their homes.” - Cécile Verdier, Sotheby’s Co-Worldwide Head of 20th Century Design

A further highlight of the sale was twelve lots from a remarkable collection of furniture by British designer T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings - based on classical Greek forms and executed by Saridis of Athens. Highly coveted by interior designers, every piece in the group sold, doubling the pre-sale estimate to achieve a combined total of £120,625 (est. £41,300-60,600).

The insatiable demand in the market for British studio ceramics, noted for their sculptural qualities, continued as a rare sculptural and abstract Monumental ‘Spade Form’ Vase by leading British ceramicist Hans Coper made £62,500. Works by pioneering Italian designer Gio Ponti performed consistently well, bringing a total of £145,000 led by Wall-Mounted Chest, which made £56,250 (est. £15,000-20,000). One of the most influential designers of the 20th century, Ponti’s remarkable output spanned architecture, industrial design, art, and even publishing.

L16670 Design Top 10 15.11.16