On Wednesday, December 1st, PIASA will hold an auction dedicated to American and Japanese design.
The American design sales are now a very popular event with design collectors, who are regulars at PIASA. The sale devoted to Japanese design, on the other hand, is a novelty, both for the auction house and in the French auction scene, which is bound to attract some attention.
PIASA has chosen to bring these two catalogs together in the same sale, because of the relationship that the designers of these two scenes have with the world of craftsmanship, the workmanship of wood and metal and a form of rarity in production. Similarly, figures such as Isamu Noguchi or George Nakashima, because of their origins, have always claimed a certain cultural duality in their work.
In the American catalog, we find several sets of pieces by designers George Nakashima, Paul Evans, Dean Santner, Karl Springer or Terence Harold Robsjohn-Gibbings that perfectly illustrate this approach to design, based on a remarkable craftsmanship. We also note the presence of tapestries signed by Alexander Calder, ceramics by Claude Conover and the Martz couple (Jane and Gordon) or these objects at the border of sculpture by Pedro Friedeberg.
Karl Springer (1931-1991)
Dowelwood - Sofa
Estimate: 12 000 / 15 000 €
Alexander Calder (1898-1976), after
Tapestry - N°42/100
Estimate: 10 000 / 15 000 €
The Japanese selection takes visitors on an inspirational journey from the post-war period, with a series of chairs by Junzo Sakakura & Daisaku Choh produced in 1953, to the present day, with a group of furniture and objects designed by Shigeru Uchida in 1989 for the Il Palazzo hotel in Fukuoka, based on a project by Aldo Rossi.
The artist and designer Isamu Noguchi is a key figure in the selection, with an important selection of his iconic lighting fixtures, the Akari collection published by Ozeki. Similarly, ceramics, a major craft practice in Japan, has a prominent place, with pieces by Zenji Miyashita and Kazuo Takiguchi, or more experimental, a set of small sculptures signed Otani Workshop.
Finally, figures who are now well known in the Western world, such as Sori Yanagi and Shiro Kuramata, contribute to the relevance of this sale.
Reiko Tanabe (born 1934)
'Murai' stool
Estimate: 3 000 / 4 000 €
Isamu Noguchi (1944-1988)
Akari series - Floor lamp model BB3-55A
Estimate: 7 000 / 9 000 €
Shiro Kuramata (1934-1991)
'Nikko' cabinet
Estimate: 8 000 / 12 000 €
