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Design Scheme

By Jean Bond Rafferty

Published: October 1, 2008
London—Surfing on the success of their Paris-based Pavillon des Arts et du Design, Patrick Perrin and Stéphane Custot launched an English version, DesignArt London, last autumn. The second edition of this event, whose focus is modern and contemporary furniture, is being held in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square from October 15 through 19. By mid-August, 32 exhibitors had been confirmed—already a 50 percent increase over last year—hailing from Belgium, Denmark, England, France (which accounts for half the roster), Italy and the United States.

In addition to offering an array of 20th-century design and decorative objects, the event is placing an exciting emphasis on 21st-century limited editions. London’s Carpenters Workshop Gallery is presenting the British artist Marc Quinn’s 2008 “functional sculpture”: a console, desk, coffee table and stool made of rough-hewn white marble and featuring polished tops inset with colored-stone pietre dura. Each piece is produced in a series of eight and priced between £40,000 and £150,000 ($77,000– 290,000). The veteran London dealer David Gill is showcasing the U.K. design duo Patrik Fredrikson and Ian Stallard’s fiberglass King Bonk chair, 2008, produced in Bentley-automobile color combinations in a limited edition of eight, priced from £25,000 ($50,000). Gill is also bringing work by Zaha Hadid and Ettore Sottsass. Meanwhile, the hot Paris designer and gallerist Hervé van der Straten is displaying his own 2008 editions: the red-lacquered fiberglass Psychose, for €27,175 ($40,800), and mirrored stainless-steel Clash consoles, for €39,712 ($60,000).

The New York–based dealer Cristina Grajales is premiering Chilean designer Sebastian Errazuriz’s stainless-steel chaise longue in a limited edition of 15, priced at $45,000 to $50,000. The stand of another Manhattan entry, R 20th Century, glows with the American glass sculptor Jeff Zimmerman’s pearlescent Vine lighting, priced from $35,000. The number of participants and the breadth of offerings aren’t the fair’s only measures on the rise; the price bar has been elevated too. As R 20th Century’s co-owner Zesty Meyers notes: “For an A-rate design, $100,000 to $300,000 is now normal.”

"Design Scheme" originally appeared in the October 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's October 2008 Table of Contents.

 

 

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