sotheby's 20th century design auction sets new $4 million record sale

this week, a sotheby’s design auction concluded with a surprisingly total of $4 million, marking the highest-ever result for an online sale of 20th century design. the selection of works included a sculpture by harry bertoia, a chandelier by tiffany studios, a collection of windows designed by frank lloyd wright, and a pair of armchairs by jean prouvé.

jean prouvé | pair of “direction” armchairs, model no. 352
images courtesy of sotheby’s

the sotheby’s auction — which was scheduled to be conducted live — demonstrates that during these pandemic times, online auction programs can be successful. the auction house reported that nearly half of all pieces offered sold for more than their high estimates, and six works sold for more than $100.000.

tiffany studios | “moorish” twisted wire chandelier

‘the remarkable success of our mid-season design auction demonstrates the strong demand we continue to see from collectors worldwide for works across the full spectrum of the design markets,’ says jodi pollack, co-worldwide head of sotheby’s 20th century design department. ‘our record total also reinforces the confidence and shift we are seeing towards bidding and buying online.

harry bertoia | untitled (sonambient)

the bidders where from 31 countries, with the highest competition from the united states, united kingdom, france and hong kong, with one-third of the bids coming from mobile devices.

‘we were thrilled to meet the needs of both our buyers and sellers at this very challenging time by successfully executing an online sale strategy, and we are so very grateful to all of our clients for their strong support and making this sale a benchmark market event,’ pollack concludes. ‘this result is an important indicator of the design market’s momentum and growth at a much-needed time.’

frank lloyd wright | window from the joseph j. walser house, chicago

project info:

name: 20th century design auction

company: sotheby’s