That was Phillip de Pury'shaul from today's"Design"sale.They held the preview and the sale at their new Midtown digs.I have to say I was impressed with the space.I'm a closet Uptown Guy,so I kinda get off on clean and new sometimes.Lose the suits, the strollers and the attitude andI could live on the Upper East Side,fo' realz y'all.The CrewMathieu MatégotCeiling Light1950s$20-25,000 estWITHDRAWN
This was one of my favs in the sale, and just as theauction was about to start,the auctioneer said it had been withdrawn.My source said it was because the consigner changedtheir mind.... Maybe,but it was a little weird.Jean ProuvéSwiveling Office Chair1951$40-50,000SOLD: $86,500Love the base....Charlotte Perriand & Jean ProuvéFree Form Coffee Table1956$45-50,000SOLD: $50,000Great patina on this one.Just what you want to see....Jean ProuéCompass Table1953$12-18,000SOLD: $15,000I really like the space up there at 450 Park Ave.(@ 57th Street)Weird the downtown address is 450 too....Just noticed that.(The Aalto chairs passed.)Bid it up!This way to the bathroom....(This Jean Royere chair would have cost you $34,250,it and it's mate brought $68,500.)That Mathieu Matégot mirror was pulled too....Look at those Donald Judd sculptures,I mean Le Corbusier shelves.Mathieu Matégot"Satellite" Ceiling Light1953$20-25,000 estSOLD: $32,500Jean Royere"Quilles" Side Tables1956$10-15,000 estSOLD: $35,000
There was some grumbling mumblingabout how old these were....The vanity set brought $40,000.It's a look....(See how I didn't use one badbaseball joke or metaphor??Are you proud of me?)The downstairs viewing area was MOODY,in a good way.Richard TuttleDining Table1992
One last funny story....I met a gentleman in my store yesterdayand while I was printing a memo for him,he started looking throughthe Phillips catalog that I had out on a table.He saw the above table and decided he had to have it.I saw him before the sale and we had a nice chat about it.Afterwards I asked him if he had gotten it,and he laughed and said he wasn't even close,that it soared from a 15-20,000 estimateto sell for $62,500.We exchanged cards, and I don't know why I find this so funny,but he was Carl Bernstein,yes, that Carl Berstein.Only in NYC....