DALLAS, TX – When Heritage opens the floor bidding on its inaugural 20th Century Art & Design Auction, the world’s third largest auctioneer will be doing much more than christening a new auction department within its formidable organization; Heritage will be shining a huge spotlight on the City of Dallas, showing the world that great 20th Century design, from furniture by Frank Lloyd Wright to paintings by Ad Reinhardt, is in good supply and high demand in Texas.
With more than 350 lots in this first auction, the 20th Century Art and Design department at Heritage has put together a list of offerings such as buyers might see in New York, London, Los Angeles or Chicago; one that will make the red-hot Modern market focus its eyes squarely on Dallas. Mid-Century Modern furniture, an Art Deco icon and samplings of the best decorative arts the 20th Century had to offer make this sale, at Heritage’s Slocum Street Annex, the design event of the fall in the DFW-Metroplex.
“This is the same type of auction you see the rich and famous come out for in cosmopolitan cities across the globe,” said Heritage’s 20th Century Art & Design Director Thom Pegg. “Now Dallas joins that list with an auction that spans the entirety of last century and offers icons of both fine art and important design from each period.”
Stars of the auction include a sublime Ad Reinhardt painting, Abstract Painting, Blue, 1952 (estimate $1,750,000-$2,500,000), a stunning piece of art in varying hues of blue and purple and a wonderful example from the artist’s most sought after period. In this painting you can see Reinhardt’s subtle use of shade growing more pronounced as his art morphed seamlessly away from geometric shape into pure color abstraction. The painting is of unimpeachable provenance; it has been in the hands of one family since it was bought half a century ago. It \is expected to draw much attention when bidding opens.
Also of great interest is a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed chair, c. 1902, made for the William E. Martin House in Oak Park, IL (Estimate $100,000-$150,000). With its deep wood hue, precise lines and impeccable craftsman ship, the chair originated from The Barbra Streisand Collection, and – short of a Wright house – is the perfect example of what made Wright’s designs and ideas of such lasting influence. Within the lines of the chair are hints of Arts & Crafts and Mission, along with the anti-classicism of The Vienna Secessionists. With all those influences, however, what emerges is a distinctly American style that speaks to the opening of the great West, the sophistication of the nation’s East and the simplicity of its Midwest, which was where Wright was born, lived and died.
What is widely considered the single most identifiable icon of Art Deco, Viktor Schreckengost’s Jazz Bowl, will also be the most talked about piece of ceramic at the Heritage auction when the emerald green glazed “Poor Man’s Bowl,” from the landmark Schreckengost 1931 series for Cowan goes on the block. The Jazz Bowl was produced in a time when America was being crushed under the Great Depression and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, along with The New Yorker, issued a challenge to America to come up with a symbol that transcended the times. What emerged was Schreckengost’s Jazz Bowl series, inspired by a trip to Manhattan and the energy of the Harlem Jazz scene. It was an instant hit and has remained Deco’s most recognizable piece of design.
“We are very excited to inaugurate this auction division at Heritage,” said Pegg. “The Fine and Decorative Arts department continues to grow rapidly and adding this category was a logical next step for Heritage. I am gratified that our first auction is so strong.”
Heritage’s Slocum Street Annex is located at 1518 Slocum Street, in the Design District of Downtown Dallas. Previews of the auction will take place December 6, 8-10, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Private viewings are available by appointment only beginning November 15. Call (800) 872-6467, extension 1742, to schedule.
Auction info www.HA.com
