Auctions

Design / 14 Dec 2018

Who are we buying? An anonymous art and design auction changes the game in Miami

‘We expect one thing or are fearful of one thing, and then the opposite happens,’ says Alejandra Martinez of the surprises that arise from her Latin American and Mexican non-profit art and design auction, Anónimo (anonymous in Spanish). The...

Art / 27 Nov 2018

Vienna’s art scene gathers pace, from auctions to Wes Anderson’s curatorial debut

Where in Vienna can you see Andy Warhol, Lucio Fontana and Maria Lassnig under one roof? At the palatial headquarters of Dorotheum, where a series of sales will take place from 27-29 November with a focus on contemporary and modern...

Art / 4 Oct 2018

Creative luminaries explore the possibilities of light for photography show in aid of Maggie’s

Photography is the art of manipulating light: its very process depends on minute changes in the electromagnetic spectrum, often barely visible to the eye. Early modernist photographers in the 1920s were the first to experiment with different ways to record...

Poupouf’ armchairs, circa 1970, by Ettore Sottsass

Design / 26 Sep 2018

Ettore Sottsass’ designs go up for auction in Paris this autumn

Celebrated for his vibrant and rebellious approach to architecture and design, Ettore Sottsass has re-entered the spotlight in recent years with the revival of postmodernism and embracing of the pattern-clashing ardour of the 1980s, and now a plethora of centennial...

A selection of lamps atop an English oak dresser

Design / 8 May 2018

Christie’s opens sale of the century with Rockefeller collection, offering Picasso to Monet

The sale of the century has opened this week; Christie’s is offering Peggy and David Rockefeller’s collection for auction in New York, hitting a collosal $646,133,594 / £476,148,559 / €541,380,911 on its opening day...

Design / 12 Apr 2018

The legend of the Ritz: Artcurial Paris announces spring auction curated by Vincent Darré

The Ritz in Paris is imbued with a self-propagating mythology. Home to Proust, Hemmingway and Coco Chanel over the years, it has become a microcosm of Parisian decadence. Following four years of extensive renovations, the famed Ritz hotel reopened its...

Zaha Hadid Design's 'Cloud' dog kennel for charity auction in London

Lifestyle / 12 Apr 2018

Zaha Hadid Design’s dog kennel joins a pack of pooch pads in London

Zaha Hadid Design is one of 65 cultural practices turning its attention to 21st-century barkitecture, in the form of beautifully designed pet pads. Part of a charity auction in the name of BowWow Haus – a collaboration between pet charity...

Design / 20 Mar 2018

Set superstar Alexandre de Betak’s Paris apartment interiors go under the hammer

For 30 years French art director, scenographer and designer Alexandre de Betak has pulled off some the fashion world’s most outstanding catwalk shows. Who could forget the 59 ft mountain of blue delphiniums he constructed in the courtyard of the...

Art / 20 Feb 2018

The hidden Le Corbusier connection in Peter Doig’s landmark painting

As a child, Peter Doig visited the home of Eberhard Zeidler, situated in the wealthy Toronto suburb of Rosedale. This house is the stated inspiration of his masterwork – The Architect’s Home in the Ravine (1991) – which is going under...

Antiques dealer and design collector Joel Chen at home

Design / 6 Feb 2018

Exploring the collections of antiques dealer Joel Chen ahead of his Christies’s auction

For the Los Angeles-based antiques dealer, Joel Chen, collecting has always been about personal taste. ‘I have absolutely no unity in my acquisitions. I just go around and see what I like,’ he says, adding, ‘The prime element would...

Design / 12 Oct 2017

Ron Arad reveals the pivotal works that are set to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s auction ‘Living in a Material World’ opens next week, showcasing the evolution of design with a collection curated by Tony Chambers. Ron Arad features in the show, and is offering up a whole seven lots. In this video, the...

Design / 9 Oct 2017

‘Living in a Material World’ auction at Sotheby’s: the Wallpaper* edit

Ahead of the pre-sale exhibition (13-16 October) of Sotheby’s auction ‘Design: Living in a Material World’ (17 October), its curator and Wallpaper* brand and content director Tony Chambers picks his top 30 lots. From Ron Arad’s innovative ‘Blo-Void 1’ chair...