Auction of Design and Decorative Arts of the 20th Century

The upcoming auction of Design and Decorative Arts of the 20th Century presents a broad and articulated catalogue, spanning the twentieth century by placing furniture, lighting, decoration, and sculpture in dialogue. The selection is built around works of quality and clear recognizability, alongside a series of lots that concretely reflect the variety of the century’s production.

Among the most significant offerings is the group of seating pieces by Rito Valla for IPE Bologna. In particular, this lot consists of three armchairs and a sofa from the 1960s: a rare ensemble in terms of completeness, representative of the Italian Rationalist season applied to serial furniture production.

In the catalogue, the “Casaccia” desk by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena meets the “LS1” lamp. This clarifies how the rigor of the designer’s project finds expression both in furniture and in lighting. All this always through a measured use of proportions and materials.

Of particular interest is the centre seat by Carlo Bugatti, which immediately conveys the originality of his language. Furniture, decorative art, and formal invention coexist without hierarchies. The strength of the piece lies in its presence and in the quality of its execution. These elements place it naturally within late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century collecting.

Italian design of the postwar period finds a precise reference in the “Sarpi” table by Carlo Scarpa for Simon Gavina (1974). The comparison with International Modernism, instead, is entrusted to the “LC3” sofa by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand, produced by Cassina in the 1970s. One of the most solid and recognizable models of twentieth-century furniture.

The catalogue also includes works that place art and design in relation, such as the “Les Grands Trans-Parents” mirror by Man Ray for Cassina, from a 1938 model, accompanied by the presence of a sculpture by Giacomo Balla, a direct reference to the historical avant-gardes. The sculptural section is structured around works that address the theme of form and matter through different approaches. A work by Franco Adami is present, in which formal reduction and the centrality of the material define an essential balance. There are also two works by Miguel Berrocal, including Omaggio ad Arcimboldo, exemplifying his research on the decomposition and recomposition of form. This nucleus is enriched by “Arca” by Giuseppe Rivadossi (1970s), in which attention to material and to the constructive gesture restores a vision of sculpture as a primary object, suspended between function, symbol, and matter.

Furthermore, alongside these lots, the catalogue is expanded by the recurring presence of designers who shaped the twentieth century. Among them are Ettore Sottsass, Gio Ponti, Kazuhide Takahama, and Marcel Breuer.

A chapter is dedicated to utilitarian objects and domestic accessories, with numerous services, milk jugs, coffee pots, and complementary pieces, documenting design applied to everyday life throughout the century. The selection is completed by a rich section dedicated to twentieth-century glass and lighting. Here we find significant presences of the Venini and Seguso – Murano manufactories, including lamps, appliques, and decorative objects.

As a whole, the auction offers a solid and well-calibrated selection, capable of combining iconic furniture, works of strong personality, utilitarian objects, and artistic presences, providing a reliable and concrete reading of twentieth-century design and decorative arts.