Art/Auctions: Design auction at Phillips de Pury New York, December 13, 2011

Lot 153, "Ribbon" bed," rosewood veneered wood, goat skin, by Jean Royère, 32 by 62 by 87 1/2 inches, circa 1945

Lot 153 is a sumptuous "Ribbon" bed covered in goat skin by Jean Royère (1902-1981). It measures 32 by 62 by 87 1/2 inches and was created circa 1945. It has a modest estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $10,000.

Lot 179, wall-mounted cabinet, by Phillip Lloyd Powell and Paul Evans, walnut, bronze, fabric, 54 by 30 by 19 1/4 inches, circa 1962

Lot 179 is a very fine walnut, bronze and fabric wall-mounted cabinet by Phillip Lloyd Powell (1919-2008) and Paul Evans (1931-1987). It measures 54 by 30 by 19 1/4 inches and was created circa 1962.

In his obituary by Margalit Fox in The New York Times March 16, 2008, Margalit Fox wrote that :Though Mr. Powell’s work is often described as midcentury modern, it routinely transcended the cool, clean lines associated with that style. His sinuous, textural furniture, which he painstakingly hand-carved from gleaming woods, often recalled forms from the natural world. A series of large walnut screens begun in the 1960s, for instance, features twining openwork that suggests a modern twist on Art Nouveau tendrils.

It has an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 218, pair of wall lights, by Gia Ponti, brass and painted steel, circa 1960, 15 5/8 by 16 by 4 inches

Lot 218 is a beautiful pair of wall lights by Gia Ponti (1891-1979) of brass and painted steel. They each measures 15 5/8 by 16 by 4 inches and were created circa 1960. Ponti was not only a designer but also an architect and the founding editor of Domus magazine and a leader of Italy's post-war design renaissance. His daughter, Lisa Licitra Ponti, once summarized his life: "Sixty years of work, buildings in thirteen countries, lectures in twenty-four, twenty-five years of teaching, fifty years of editing, articles in every one of the five hundred and sixty issues of his magazines, two thousand five hundred letters dictated, two thousand letters drawn, designs for a hundred and twenty enterprises, one thousand architectural sketches." After serving in the Italian army during World War I, he got an architecture degree but became art director of Richard-Ginori, the ceramics manufacturer and won the Grand Prix at the 1925 Paris Expo. In 1928, he founded Domus, the lavish and influential design magazine and would later curate the Triennale in Milan, an important showcase for the best of Italian design. He would also design stage sets and costumes for La Scala in Milan, Murano glass for Paolo Venini andthe La Pavoni coffee machine in 1948. He also designed the Alitalia offices in New York City and in 1956 the Pirelli Tower in Milan and in 1972 the Denver Art Museum.This lot has an estimate of $7,000 to $9,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 191, "Executive Desk" for TBWA/Chiat/Day inNew York, by Gaetano Pesce, steel, resin and rubber, 51 1/2 by 64 1/2 by 42 1/8 inches, circa 1994

Lot 191 is the fantastic "Executive Desk" for TBWA/Chiat/Day inNew York, by Gaetano Pesce (b. 1939). It measures 51 1/2 by 64 1/2 by 42 1/8 inches and was created circa 1994. Pesce's work is known for its color and use of building materials developed through new technologies and The New York Times descried his design for TBWA/Chiat/Day as "a remarkable work of art… that bears no resemblance to the sleek, hard-edged esthetic we have come to associate with the modern world." The lot has a modest estimate of $4,000 to $6,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 200, "Body Raft," by David Trubridge, steam-bent white ash, Australian hoop pine plywood, 29 3/4 by 34 by 100 inches, 2000

Lot 200, "Body Raft," by David Trubridge (b.1961), steam-bent white ash, Australian hoop pine plywood, is a very sculptural object that measures 29 3/4 by 34 by 100 inches. It was created in 2000 and has an estimate of $7,000 to $9,000. Trubridge graduated from Newcastle University in England in 1972 with a degree in naval architecture and in 2007 he was given the Green Leaf Award for artistic excellence by the Natural World Museum and the United Nations Environment Program for his commitment to engaging the public in environmental awareness and action. It failed to sell.

Lot 202, "Prototype HK" table by Amanda Levete and Future Systems, hand-layered fiberglass and stainless steel, 28 1/8 by 156 by 52 inches, 2006

Lot 202 is the stunning "Prototype HK" table by Amanda Levete (b. 1955) and Future Systems of hand-layered fiberglass and stainless steel. Ms. Levete was for 20-years co-partner with Jan Kaplicky of Future Systems that designed Selfridges department store in Birmingham and the Lord's Media Centre that won the Stirling Prize from the Royal Institute of Architects. The lot measures 28 1/8 by 156 by 52 inches and was made in 2006. It has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It failed to sell.