Design

The Design Department is now one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing sectors of Gregory’s Auction House, attracting increasing interest from collectors, professionals and enthusiasts, including a younger clientele sensitive to contemporary approaches to interiors. In particular, with two or three dedicated auctions each year, the department focuses on the selection, study and enhancement of design works and furnishings.

First of all, many of the works handled come from private collections, often assembled over time with taste, coherence and sensitivity. Furthermore, enhancing each work requires a careful and collaborative process based on research and market knowledge. Indeed, every piece is analysed through an examination that considers its bibliography, condition and comparison with the results achieved by works by the same designer or artist. Consequently, this makes it possible to establish its correct classification and formulate a consistent valuation, designed to express its full potential at auction. Finally, Gregory’s agrees a reserve price with the owner, defined according to the characteristics of the object and market dynamics, with the aim of protecting its value.

Likewise, a central role is reserved for the presentation in the catalogue. In particular, detailed photographs and comprehensive descriptions are essential tools for conveying the quality of the works as effectively as possible. Furthermore, they make it possible to attract the interest of collectors and professionals in the sector, within an increasingly attentive and selective market.

The department’s activity is also developed in close collaboration with consignors, through a complete and highly qualified service that begins with free valuations and assists clients throughout every stage of the process. At the same time, dedicated support is also provided to buyers, particularly during the stages following the auction. Indeed, Gregory’s offers assistance with shipping quotations and the organisation of specialised transport, with delivery available both in Italy and abroad. Finally, particular attention is devoted to export procedures, an essential aspect for a sector that engages with an increasingly international audience.

Furthermore, the Department benefits from the collaboration of Damiano Baffa, a design specialist who assists the team in selecting and studying the works. In particular, his contribution, based on extensive experience in the field, supports research activities, the valuation process, the preparation of appropriate descriptions and the strategic positioning of lots on the market. Consequently, this collaboration provides an additional level of expertise.

Over the course of its auctions, the Design Department has achieved significant results. For example, notable lots include important furnishings from the second half of the twentieth century and Italian and international design, beginning with the pair of “Digamma” armchairs by Ignazio Gardella for Gavina (1957), sold for €14,260, an emblematic example of Italian Rationalism applied to design. Furthermore, early twentieth-century French production is represented by the elegant demi-lune sideboard by Louis Süe and André Mare, sold for €11,970.

Likewise, particularly significant is the presence of leading figures in contemporary Italian design and art, including the “Golden Gate” table by Alessandro Mendini (2008), sold for €10,880, and the “Rosa dei Venti” table by Mario Ceroli, dating from the 1970s and sold for €10,625. Indeed, these works reflect an experimental, free and strongly expressive approach. Furthermore, this same area includes the “Ambiguità” table by Massimo and Lella Vignelli, an expression of an essential and conceptual language, and the “Corinto” sideboard by Ferdinando Meccani for Atelier Meccani, which reflects a design approach focused on materials and artisanal quality. Finally, the “Battaglia di San Romano” sideboard by Mimmo Paladino (2010), sold for €5,376, confirms the increasingly productive dialogue between contemporary art and furnishings.

In particular, the growing interest in works by Carlo Bugatti is especially noteworthy. These include a refined centre chair, sold for €9,600, a writing desk made between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, sold for €8,680, and a twentieth-century mirror, sold for €7,068. Overall, these works represent examples of the artist’s unmistakable decorative language, suspended between exoticism and Art Nouveau.

The department also includes significant examples of European artistic and decorative production from the second half of the twentieth century. For example, these include “Grande Palma” by Henri Fernandez, a French production from the late 1970s sold for €8,680; the two-door AD362 sideboard by Alain Delon for Maison Jansen (1972), sold for €4,092; and the Carrara marble console by Up & Up, an Italian production from the same period sold for €4,216. Furthermore, the table-sculpture “Blocco Galla” by Giuseppe Rivadossi (1968), sold for €6,572, belongs within this context. Finally, the abstract glazed stoneware sculpture by Carlo Zauli (1968), sold for €5,544, confirms the department’s interest in works at the intersection of design, decoration and sculpture.

Alongside historic design, the catalogues also include more recent and contemporary works. In particular, furnishings and seating that have become genuine icons of modern living include the “Mod Table” dining table by Tosco Ticciati, from the “Botania” collection, characterised by the use of refined materials and a strong focus on material and artisanal qualities. Furthermore, the selection includes the celebrated “Togo” model by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, an example of informal and innovative design that continues to appeal strongly to collectors and contemporary taste.

Likewise, an important place is occupied by lighting design, with works by leading designers such as Gino Sarfatti, represented by a set of three model 1073 floor lamps for Arteluce (1956), and Gio Ponti for Fontana Arte, with a model “1967” adjustable floor lamp dating from the 1960s. Overall, these works are significant examples of a design approach capable of combining formal elegance, technical innovation and quality of execution.

Finally, over time, the acquisition of works from important private collections has enabled Gregory’s to consolidate a national and international client base of design collectors and enthusiasts. Indeed, by its very nature, design speaks a strongly global language and attracts a broad and diverse audience, attentive both to the great masters of the twentieth century and to more contemporary research. Consequently, the department’s auctions allow consignors to present their works within a qualified and competitive environment. Furthermore, this context is capable of increasing their visibility on the international market and encouraging significant sale results.

Evaluation

Would you like to know the value of your artworks and explore their potential sale on the market?

Our experts are available to provide free and confidential valuations, whether for individual works or entire collections.

You will receive qualified advice and be guided through every stage of the sale process, whether at auction or through private negotiation, with a careful and personalised service.

Images and information regarding your artworks can be sent via:

• email or WeTransfer: aste@gregorysaste.it
• WhatsApp: +39 051 2960945

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