The contemporary A/W 2015 sales are drawing to a close at Stockholms Auktionsverk (SAV) and Bukowskis (BUK). Following the usual order of things, the design sections focused on Scandinavian mid-century lots by Finn Juhl, Hans J Wegner and Alvar Aalto and the Swedish postmodernist generation represented by Jonas Bohlin, John Kandell and Mats Theselius.
However the overall impression is that the design side of the sales has been meager this season, especially when it comes to new and current design. In this regard Stockholms Auktionsverk (SAV) particularly disappoints following a string of very interesting and successful sales of new Nordic design by both established and emerging designers. For this occasion also a number of lots made a reappearance failing to sell at the spring auctions.
On the bright side then, SAV offered a variation of Fredrik Paulsen’s characteristic Easy Chair for sale with the high end of estimate price set at 2.900 USD / 2.700 EUR. This particular piece we recognize from a previous solo show at Etage Projects in Copenhagen and do check out his the ongoing Fredrik Paulsen Stoned exhibition at this particular venue. Paulsen is also founding member of Örnsbergsauktionen, an alternative auction for new studio design and craft taking place each year during the SDW. Daniel Svahn’s Row of is an asymmetric sideboard with a profile inspired by a city skyline, a prototype with the high estate at 2.300 USD / 2.150 EUR. Next is David Ericsson with a collection wooden furniture initially made to participate at the centennial Wegner exhibition at Tønder Art Museum. As a graduate from Carl Malmsten Furniture Studies Ericsson has a comprehensive knowledge of woodworking and earlier this year he unveiled the Madonna chair for Gärsnäs. The Tønder series consists of a cabinet with doors made out of painted watercolor paper (est 9.200 USD / 8.600 EUR), a technique he has previously used for a number of wall hanged cabinets, a desk with details and solutions also recognizable from Ericssons’ earlier works (est 4.600 USD / 4.300 EUR) and finally a sideboard (est 2.300 USD / 2.150 EUR)
Frej Wichmann’s Bubble cabinet with the high estimate at 2.900 USD / 2.700 EUR, is a piece made with unorthodox methodology, designed to have minimal environmental impact Wichmann build a lath machine out of a bicycle and the elements are tied together with string made of recycled plastic bags. One of Folkform’s Masonite cabinets is also up for sale, a large piece with 18 compartments. Folkforms is perhaps the most well known out of these contemporary designers and their works have been up for sale several times before. Also Folkform’s cabinet was the only one to sell of the above mentioned, bidding ended at 5.300 USD / 4.950 EUR against the high estimate at 5.750 USD / 5.400 EUR. So there are a number of reasons why these lots failed to sell, one is obviously that the estimates and reserves were to optimistic but another significant factor is probably that there was simply too few lots this time around, with that said we are eagerly awaiting the 2016 auctions.
Bukowskis, generally the more traditional and perhaps the more conservative of the two arch rivals presents a much larger sale with plenty of nice mid-century pieces but few but few lots that stand out. A part form a few Theselius and Bohlin lots the most noteworthy piece is a matching pair of Arne Norell Thumb chairs, unfortunately reupholstered in synthetic leather. The chair is a fairly unusual design by an underestimated designer, but this particular design has started to fetch serious prices in recent years, this lot fetched 24.000 USD / 22.400 EUR against it’s high estimate at 17.300 USD / 16.100 EUR. But the most remarkable lot was undoubtedly a very rare Børge Mogensen easy chair and ottoman, sometimes known as the Sleigh chair, where bidding ended at 52.000 USD / 48.500 EUR (incl. buyer’s premium), well beyond the 8.000 USD / 7.400 EUR high estimate.