The Art of Design
Photo by Carin Catt, courtesy of Marc-Newson Ltd.
They're represented by prestigious galleries; their work is auctioned for sky-high prices. These designers are hot—and the value of their pieces is appreciating swiftly.
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George Nakashima
Photo by Courtesy of Sotheby's and George Nakashima
This Arlyn Table sold for $822,400 at Sotheby's in December, an auction record for Nakashima; his previous highest-seller was a similar table that brought $204,000 in June 2006. The Arlyn was commissioned for a 1988 retrospective and paid for by prominent collectors of the Japanese-American's work. Diane von Furstenberg and Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw own pieces.
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Zaha Hadid's Aqua table
Photo by Courtesy of Established and Sons
The architect had a mid-career retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2006. Following an exhibition of new pieces at Phillips de Pury late last year, buzz built about her furniture. A prototype of Hadid's Aqua Table sold at Phillips in 2005 for $296,000; just prior to that, a limited edition retailed for $157,000. British venture capitalist Frank Cohen owns one.
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Line Vautrin
Photo by Christies Images
This Frenchwoman's work "was, for a very long time, a very well-known secret," says dealer Wayne Schwartz. Five years ago, few of Vautrin's signature starburst resin mirrors from the 1950s and '60s sold for more than $20,000; today, prices can reach six figures. A "Roi Soleil" mirror sold for $144,000 at Christie's last December. Vautrin collectors include Jane Wenner and Prada publicist Mathilde Agostinelli.
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Gio Ponti
Photo by Brian Franczyk Photography, courtesy of the Wright Gallery
As prices for the most famous mid-century French designers have soared, the less expensive works of this mid-century Italian designer—everything from chandeliers to ceramic vases—are catching on with collectors. This walnut display cabinet went for $12,000 in 2002, while a similar piece sold for $34,800 last December. Rosita Missoni and home-improvement guru Bob Vila both own Ponti chandeliers.
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Ron Arad's Tinker chair
Photo by Courtesy of Phillips de Pury
Like Newson, Arad is known for his sculptural forms. One of the Israeli's Tinker chairs, made from painted and hammered steel, sold at Wright for $15,000 in December 2002. Another from the series went for $102,000 at a Phillips sale in June 2006. Issey Miyake and Craig Robins, the Miami property developer and art collector who helps finance Design Miami, own pieces by Arad.
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Marc Newson
Photo by Carin Catt, courtesy of Marc-Newson Ltd.
Newson's creations fall somewhere between fine art and functional furniture. In 2000, one of the Australian's 10 Lockheed Lounges fetched $105,000 at Christie's, while a prototype of the space-age chaise went for $968,000 at Sotheby's in June 2006. Aby Rosen and Karl Lagerfeld own Newson's work.
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Claude & Francois-Xavier Lalanne
Photo by Christopher Burke, courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery, the Lalannes
These French designers have been darlings of fashionable Europeans since the 1960s; now their work is known in the U.S., thanks in part to a show at the Paul Kasmin Gallery, in New York. In 1999, four stone-and-bronze sheep were auctioned for an average of about $9,000 apiece; in 2006, three sculptures sold for an average of $25,000 each. Coach president Reed Krakoff and architect Peter Marino are collectors.
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