Eileen Gray – a transat armchair with original calfskin upholstery, ebonised lacquered work and nickel plated brass. UPDATE: THIS MADE $1,596,500, setting a world auction record for a ‘Transat’ chair.
Eileen Gray’s (1879-1976) ‘Transat’ chair from 1927-30 is a highlight of Christie’s design sale in New York on June 20. It is estimated at $1-1.5 million. The chair was conceived in the context of the furnishing of the villa E1027, the house at Roquebrune in the South of France, that Gray designed with and for her associate Jean Badovici. The radical modern villa – built on a rocky slope overlooking the sea – inspired Gray to explore new materials and possibilities in its bespoke furniture and fittings. For this iconic piece, Gray references
the classic deck-chair, a design of pure functionalism, as she plays on the marine theme, calling to mind the contemporary
engagement with water sports, the outdoors, and the popularity of a new generation of ocean liners.
The auction is comprised of two private American collections and includes pieces by some of the most iconic names of French design including Pierre Chareau, Jen Dunand, Jean Michel Frank, Francois Xavier Lalanne, Pierre Legrain and Emile Jacques Ruhlmann.
UPDATE: THE SALE TOTALLED $8.3 MILLION.
Emile Jacques Ruhlmann – a ‘granet’desk c1930 UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR $150,000
Jean Dunand vases offered in separate lots UPDATE: THESE MADE VARIOUS PRICES FROM $43,850 TO $87,500
