Richard Reynolds - "Dance of the Atoms" - 1950

Oil on board, 24" x 18" $700

This is pretty exciting to me for a few reasons. First, I think it's lovely. It has a bit of action-painting energy, but with a light touch. As close as I can imagine to a painting capturing effervescence. It's technically odd, looking more like the product of some chemical process than of painting.

Second, it has a place in history. It was exhibited at the San Francisco Art Association's 70th Annual at the SF Art Museum (now SFMoMA) in 1951, along with Bothwell, Kuhlman, Loran, Martin, Pattinson and so on. The SFAA's Annuals featured many of the most important West Coast abstract expressionists.

It has some condition issues. Primarily, nail holes all around the edge of the painting, approximately 1/4" in. But I'd hazard that these were artist-made, as it was placed in a now-gone frame.

Click pictures to enlarge.

Krishna Reddy and a Beer

Do you know Krishna Reddy? An Indian sculptor and printmaker probably best known for this sculpture. I've always found his prints compelling. Tactile. Deep. Like this one:

And this one:

And this one, too:

So imagine my surprise, while I was enjoying a Racer 5 IPA with lunch, to discover a Krishna Reddy work in my glass:

Uncanny.

Houze Glass at Christmas

One of my more easily satisfied collecting interests is Christmas-themed Houze Glass. This is our small collection of them. The Pennsylvania company opened in the 19th Century, and continued on until well into the 20th. They may have done many things, but what I know them for are these mid-century small trinket trays/plates. They did them commercially as advertising tchotchkes for small businesses (e.g., a gold-printed portrait of the Kankakee Federal Bank home office), and made them for special-events - you might receive a "Happy Birthday!" tray in lieu of a card. They also decorated them for Christmas. I love the austere fonts (see "Merry Christmas" and "Noel" on the trees to the lower left of the picture), and the cartoon styling some of them have (check out the birds, lower right, from 1959, and the reindeer, top left). Graphic design that's perfectly period. Pretty common on eBay and Etsy. Always fun to discover one you haven't seen before, or to pick one up for a pittance. No need for collecting desperation, though, they made plenty of them.

John Levee Lithograph

John Levee lithograph. Circa 1955-60. 26" x 20" inches. Signed artist's proof ("epreuve d'artiste"). Edition size unknown, but other Levee prints from the era seem to be in the 20-50 range (his "A Preface and Four Seasons" portfolio from 1959 was issued in an edition of 150, plus an hors commerce aside of 20).

Very good condition. Some minor toning at the edges, and the paper is rough at the edges, presumably as issued.

Levee, an American who has long lived as an expat in France. is one of my favorite abstract expressionist / lyrical abstraction artists of the late Fifties. This is a great, chaotic, dramatic print.

Current Art Inventory

Unique works:

William Dole

Jules Engel
Giuseppe Napoli

Leonardo Nierman

Richard Reynolds

John Saccaro

Rolph Scarlett

Russell Twiggs

Glenn Wessels

Prints:

John Axton

Jean Arp

Hans Burkhardt

Rolf Cavael

Bernard Childs

Roy De Forest

Leonard Edmondson

Johnny Friedlaender
Terry Haass

Robert Goodnough

John Hoyland

John Hultberg

Lee Krasner

Walter Kuhlman
John Levee

Frank Lobdell

Conrad Marca-Relli

Gabor Peterdi

Ludwig Sander

Jack Tworkov

Help Clean Out Our Storage!

The rent's increasing, and we're thinking about emptying out our storage space near Market and Van Ness. A fair number of things there are visible on this blog, including: 

George Nelson for Herman Miller sofas of various sizes and styles.

Muriel Coleman 1952 desk

Knoll Credenza
American of Martinsville Dresser

Kay Korbing pair of chairs

Roll-top desk

Lots of art

Other stuff

We're not giving it away, but we won't be trying to make top dollar, either. Drop us a line if you'd like to come by and check anything out.

Art Consulting Services

If you find yourself interested in acquiring Mid-Twentieth Century abstract art, from Abstract Expressionism, to Hard Edge and Post-Painterly Abstraction, I'd be happy to help find what you're looking for. More importantly, I'd like to guide you to things you didn't know interested you.

I can help source art for institutions and individuals, and perhaps educate you on your art choices. I'm particularly interested in matching collectors with underappreciated artists whose work is at least as impressive as that of many "names."

Services can range from gratis to a percentage of a purchase, and I'm always happy just to discuss mid-century abstraction.

Jules Engel 1960

A Jules Engel gouache on paper from 1960. About 11" x 15", unframed.

Engel (1909 - 2003) was a Los Angeles abstract expressionist painter, who turned to a more geometric style later in his career. His black & white abstracts, like this, are my favorites of his work. What he is most famous for is his illustration/animation work. He worked on a couple of little cartoons you may have heard of: "Fantasia" and "Bambi."

Side Tables

A pair of interesting new side tables in the shop. One is a former stool, with a rush seat that has become fragile with age. I had a glass top made for it, and it's reborn as a table. A few water stains to the legs, but a neat repurposing, I think. $150

The other is an Alcoa table. Like the table above, this table's glass top is new. $450

Pictures should be "zoomable."

Gabor Peterdi Prints

Peterdi (1915 - 2001) taught printmaking at Yale University,  the Honolulu Academy of Art, the Brooklyn Art School, and Hunter College. I think of him as one of the primary printmaking educators of the 20th Century, and also as a terrific abstract artist. We have a variety of his prints, including (but not limited to) "Glowing Tree," printed in 1958 in an edition of 30:

 and "Maui," printed in 1969 in an edition of 200:

A Chair Can Make a Difference

Our apartment is modest, but sitting in the laundry room hoping desperately for cell phone reception isn't so bad in a 1948 Esavian chair with some succulents nearby on a sunny day.

Knoll Credenza

As I've mentioned to some people, I think this is the Platonic ideal of a credenza. When I hear the word "credenza," this is what I picture. Made by Knoll from 1952 until 1980 or so, these are low and perfectly proportioned. The leather pulls Knoll used on a few credenzas were a strange little touch that makes these stand out. $1000

American of Martinsville Dresser

American of Martinsville pieces are very common. They produced a wide variety of furniture over the years (and still exist today) including the popular "Dania" series that every mid-century dealer in the country has had in inventory at some point.

This is a little different. I have only seen three individual pieces from this series - a credenza, a china cabinet, and this dresser. I do not know the name of the series, or the year, though I once saw it credited as 1959.* The dresser is 70" by 29" by 18". It has some overspray to the top, and a scratch to one of the sides. $850.



*If you know anything about it, please let me know.

Before He Was Warhol

From the May 1954 issue of Interiors. A picture of Warhol (hands over face), on a contributor's page for cover illustrations. We learn here that he's "a native of Pittsburgh." You don't say?

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Nelson Sofas

All the sofas in the store right now are George Nelson designs for Herman Miller circa 1955. All have been recently upholstered.

They include a Model 5073 three-seater sectional ($2400):

A four-foot Steelframe seating unit in black vinyl that may consist of lounge, bench or table units (price will vary):

And two six-foot Steelframe seating units, one with a three lounge configuration ($2400) and one with a two lounge, one table configuration ($2200):

Buying mid century furniture and art at auction

Around the country, commercial auctions (I am not talking about eBay here) are held every day. In many metropolitan areas, auctioneers will hold “estate auctions” on a monthly/quarterly basis, selling the collected holdings of a variety of estates. For more sophisticated items – art, furniture, some collectibles – it makes better sense for an estate to sell at auction than to a home-estate-sale audience made up of people lined up to buy the deceased’s dishware.

If you find yourself online (many auction companies have online presences), discovering auctions rich in items at what seem like great estimated prices, there are a few things you should be careful about. I want to say the concerns are, “condition, condition, condition,” but  other things, like buyer’s premiums and shipping costs, also bear mention.

More after the jump . . .

Art Opening on March 25

First Sensation: Post-War Prints from the S.F. School of Abstract Expressionism

Exhibition from March 25 to May 25, 2011.
Opening reception from 6 – 8 p.m., March 25, 2011.

In October 1948, art critic Aline Louchheim wrote in the New York Times of a recent trip to San Francisco. She described “another kind of abstraction,” referred to as “First Sensation” art, denoting “a pictorial image expressing an immediate sensation rather than a representation of nature.” The article specifically identified the California School of Fine Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute) as the epicenter of the movement.

This exhibition features prints from 1948 and 1949 by students and teachers at the CSFA, including some of the Bay Area’s most famous abstract expressionists. The show features etchings by Walter Kuhlman (1918 – 2009) and lithographs from Kuhlman and other members of the “Sausalito Six” – James Budd Dixon, John Hultberg, and Frank Lobdell.

Many of these prints are from the seminal portfolio released by the artists in 1948. According to David Acton, in his “Stamp of Impulse” catalog of the Worcester Art Museum’s abstract expressionist print collection, the Sausalito Six artists (the above-listed plus Richard Diebenkorn and George Stillman) got their hands on an offset lithography press and put together a portfolio of prints they sold at the CSFA bookstore. Two hundred were planned, but only 75 were apparently made.* The artists made enough to buy a case of scotch.

Over sixty years later, it’s anyone’s guess how many of the portfolio prints remain. The Estate of Walter Kuhlman has provided Dusty Modern a collection of the lithographs, and a selection of Walter Kuhlman’s own etchings. His etchings are small in scale and were created in tiny editions – between one and eight impressions of each were made. They are gems of abstract expressionist composition – big ideas writ small.



Both pictured works are by Walter Kuhlman

*David Acton's "Stamp of Impulse" reports 200 copies. Susan Landauer's "San Francisco School of Abstract Expressionism" indicates only 75 were actually printed.

Knoll and Knockoffs

I should start by saying that we have no Knoll items in stock right now. I'm just thinking about them. The various 1950's-designed, some still in production, Knoll sofas and club chairs are just beautiful. Simple, iconic, really well-made. They were intended for "contract" (office, essentially) uses, but are perfect in the home as well. They're popular, and often one of the first things a mid-century modern fan is turned on to.

A problem with collecting Knoll, however, is that people over-attribute to the company, and don't realize how many near-copies of the sofas and club chairs exist. There were at least eleven companies making furniture that could easily be mistaken for Knoll, and is often called Knoll by uninformed sellers. Companies like Steelcase made almost exact copies of Knoll furniture. Other companies, like Monarch and Metropolitan, made things clearly informed by the Knoll sensibility.

A brief perusal of some early 1960's design magazines reveals the above companies, plus Woodard, Domore, Albano, Lehigh, JG, Edgewood, Macey Fowler, and Directional, all making things that could easily be mistaken for Knoll. Does this mean you can never be sure? No. Many Knoll items retain original tags, some items by these companies may also be tagged. But if it's important to you that your Knoll chair be Knoll, it makes sense to be careful. Me? I don't care too much - a beautiful, simple chair is a beautiful simple chair. But I certainly don't want to pay Knoll prices for a Steelcase knockoff.

In which I explain how eBay ruins everything

Guy selling a table on eBay decides, "what the hell, I'll try to get $1,000 for this table." Another person selling a similar, easily obtainable table sees this and thinks, "awesome! It's worth $1,000!" He, too, puts it on eBay. Neither one sells, but a third person sees them and says "I'll put mine up for $1,000, too! It's the going rate!" And so on.

Meanwhile, the rest of us find them at estate sales for a few bucks, and sell them for $200. eBay turns economics on its head (at least in the short term), by setting prices based on the hopes of sellers with no concept of what the actual supplies of and demands for the things really are. Of course, sometimes people will bite, and then economics just becomes a matter of chance. And we all want to win the lottery.

Rant over.

Oh, and here's a picture of a six-foot George Nelson for Herman Miller Steelframe unit, new upholstery. A few small tile dishes, too.

One Cent Life Portfolio

We have in stock (but offsite) a copy of the 1964 "One Cent Life" portfolio, featuring poems by Walasse Ting and 62 large lithographs by Pierre Alechinsky, Karel Appel, Jim Dine, Sam Francis, Robert Indiana, Asger Jorn, Roy Lichtenstein , Joan Mitchell, Claes Oldenburg, Mel Ramos, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Bram Van Velde, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, and others.

It is a big-tent coming-together of U.S. and international artists, featuring both the nascent Pop Art movement and evolutionary examples of the abstract expressionism that preceded it.

If you'd like to see it, please ask. $6000

Full sheet size: 16 1/4 x 22 3/4 inches
Folded sheet size: 16 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches
Unbound plates
Unsigned
Edition of 2000



Warhol



Mitchell



Lichtenstein



Indiana



Francis



Dine

Hans Burkhardt Prints

Hans Burkhardt (1904-1994) was born in Basel, Switzerland, then came to the U.S., where he studied at Cooper Union and the Grand Central School of Art. From 1929 to 1936, he shared a studio with Arshile Gorky, who purportedly expressed that he had faith in only two young artists – Burkhardt and De Kooning. Burkhardt was an art professor at the University of Southern California, UCLA, and California State University at Northridge.

As I believe is true for many regional artists, his move from New York to California reduced his "art world" profile, so he is perhaps less well-known than he should be. Nonetheless, Burkhardt’s work can be found in the collections of many major art institutions, including the Guggenheim, Met, and Whitney museums in New York, the Corcoran in D.C., and the L.A. Museum of Contemporary Art.

We have two small signed prints by Burkhardt, dated 1978 and 1985.

The Answer is Risom

Jens Risom worked as a designer for Knoll beginning in 1941. He was drafted into the U.S. Army soon thereafter. On his return, he created his own company, Jens Risom Design. His ad campaign, featuring photographs by Richard Avedon and the tagline "The Answer is Risom," led to terrific sales. I scanned this ad page from the May 1954 issue of "Interiors."

Kørbing Lounge Chairs

I posted these last week, but wanted to say a little bit more about them. They were designed by Kay Kørbing and put into commission aboard the MV Assedo (Kørbing did a great deal of work furnishing cruise ships). In 2003, the ship was taken out of commission and broken in India. These chairs were salvaged from the ship by Peter Knego.

The chairs came to me in awful shape. The legs were rusty; the upholstery was demolished. Since then, the legs have been sandblasted and powder-coated (a painting technique requiring a high-temperature oven). The upholstery, straps, and cushions have been completely replaced.

They're as nice a pair of lounge chairs as I've ever seen. Click on the picture for a larger image.

New Stock 1/29

Danish side tables by Falster. Newly refinished. $400 each





Danish coffee table. Selig-imported. Walnut, glass tile, with cane shelf. Dramatic and beautiful. Some cane breaks and other signs of 50+ years of age. $900





Danish lounge chairs designed by Kay Korbing, 1960's. These have been totally restored with new upholstery and powder-coated legs. $1800 the pair

Lighting Up

It occurred to me the other day that we've got a pretty great bunch of lamps in the store right now, so I decided to collect them here in a single post.



A Jo Hammerborg for Fog & Morup danish lamp. Great shape. Use it as is, swag-style, or hardwire it. $275


This is a Panduro hanging lamp from, I'd guess, the early Fifties. I found this new in its box, in kit form. I spent a couple hours putting it together, soaking the wood, bending it carefully, and it looks pretty great (better than this picture). That said, it is "handmade" from 60 year old pieces of thin wood, so it's not the most precise lamp you'll ever see. Needs to be wired up. I'll sell this for just a bit over cost - it was a fun exercise - $60.



This is a Robert Sonneman lamp I'd place as late Sixties. I contacted the company, and they were not able to find it in their archives. I added the diffuser, which gives it a nice industrial modern feel. About four feet tall, heavy marble base, great condition. $375

This week's "virtual tour."

Some video taken at the shop today. If anything catches your eye, I'd be happy to tell you about it.

Notes from a Trip to Palm Springs

Palm Springs holds a place in the popular imagination as a mid-century mecca, and while this may overstate its period glamor, it's not too far from the truth. Much of the landmark architecture was hidden behind gates we couldn't pass through, but there are many developments, such as Deepwell Estates and Racquet Club Estates, with some lovely, low, period style. We stayed here, and it's every bit as good as it looks:



We also had the great pleasure of meeting a bunch of folks in the mid-century furniture business. We spoke with folks at:

BLVD
Hedge
JP Denmark
Swank Interiors
Ventura

And other places whose names I can't recall. Every one of these places has items worth seeing, and people worth talking to.

It really was a great place. Looking forward to returning, and trying to decide if it will be worth it to participate in Palm Springs Modernism Week in February.

We're Open

Friday the 26th (today) through Sunday the 28th, noon to 6 p.m.

Closed next weekend though (December 3, 4, 5). Following weekend TBD.

Just come in this week, to be sure!

Appraising Mid-Century Furniture

I've had a couple folks come in and ask for appraisals. I'm happy to do it (you'd better be able to come up with ideas of value when you're buying and selling), but I also have to be honest - it's an incredibly science-less science. When I'm selling something for $500 that someone on 1stdibs is selling for $4000, there's more than a little play. When I see a pair of chairs selling at one place for more than a set of six is at another, there's a lack of consensus on value.

Why does this happen? I think there are a few reasons. First, there's really very little information available to demonstrate scarcity, or lack of it. Production runs are unknown, as are surviving quantities. The best we can do is ask "how often do we see these come up for sale?"

Second, people have differing opinions on condition issues. Does refinishing help or hurt? Is a small gouge a big problem? There doesn't seem to be strong consensus.

Third, and this is the one I can least account for, is audience and knowledge. The auction audience has little time for Knoll sofas or Paul McCobb Planner Group products. These were mass-produced and are visibly non-scarce. Nonetheless, the general consumer market seems to be willing to pay quite a bit more for these things. So should I appraise based on the possibility of an enthusiast's impulse, or based on the cool eye of the sophisticated buyer? The unlimited wallet of the SiliValley interior design client (which really can warp prices), or the more cautious mid-century fan?

The internet has also led to a breakdown of traditional ideas of retail, auction, and private party sales. Everyone on craigslist and eBay thinks of themselves as retailers, who should receive top-dollar for their items. This creates further confusion about pricing. If a price is visible on eBay, maybe that represents something. That eBay seller may sit on the item for years, hoping for that magical sale that never comes, but the unrealistic prices asked by some folks are nonetheless data points that have to be considered.

In short, appraisal is inexact, a bit chaotic, and you can get a lot of different numbers on the same thing.

Thinking about Warhol

Sotheby's just sold an Andy Warhol Coke Bottle painting for $35 million. There's not much to say about this, other than to note that when an artist becomes a universal symbol (well, for an incredibly tiny universe, anyhow) for "culture" and simultaneously appeals to our senses of whimsy and simplicity - "it's a Coke bottle! What's to think about?" - finding bidders is probably easy.

I'm not a big Warhol fan. I often look at his work and think it was high concept at the time, but also hedged its bets - not just commenting on iconicity, but cynically and easily trading in it. You'll get more of us to buy when we have our own simple, transparent associations with your subject.

That said, I'm really happy to have this in my collection:





It's from the 1964 "One Cent Life" book and portfolio of prints. Like many of the prints, it's accompanied by a Walasse Ting poem (it's really Ting's book). Unlike a lot of the Warhol stuff I see that seems so dry and end-of-empire, this one gives us what seems like a bit of joie de vivre. This is an icon (that's Marilyn, right?) taken apart and trafficked in, but with careful composition and the excitement of contrasting color. Despite the disembodiment, this is lively.

The entire portfolio is pretty fascinating. It features - and occurs early in the maturation of - Pop Art (including prints by Lichtenstein, Dine, Indiana, and Ramos) but also makes a few nods to the previous decade's Abstract Expressionism (Mitchell, Francis, Van Velde). It is made up primarily of New York artists, but also includes folks from around the world.

I'm thinking of putting it on display at some point, but I'm not sure about the logistics.

Anyhow, to see some of the other prints in the portfolio, you can have a look here:

http://www.woodwardgallery.net/exhibitions/ex-onecentlife.html