Bauhaus 102
German Design

The quince trees are in bloom, the beer gardens are open, summer is approaching and so does the annual auction with Bauhaus objects and German Design at Quittenbaum Art Auctions in Munich.

Furniture objects by the famous architect and designer Marcel Breuer are most wanted; an early, nickel-plated 'B 33' tubular steel classic with original iron yarn cover (€ 2,200 - 3,000 - around 1927), the rare 'B 22' shelf with early Thonet badge (€ 5,000 - 6,000 - 1928), the comfortable armchair 'B 35' with its original red cover (€ 2,200 - 3,000 - around 1928) leave the collectors’ hearts beat faster. However, the top lot for achieving the collector's bliss is Breuer's first version of the slatted armchair 'ti 1a', with legs made of square timber with a square floor plan, still from the Bauhaus workshop in Weimar, around 1924 (€ 40,000 - 60,000).

Also available in this auction, for fans of the sophisticated evening games: a rare chess set 'XVI', designed by Josef Hartwig in 1924, in a wooden box stamped with 'Bauhaus Dessau' (€ 9,000 - 12,000).

The canapé penned by Friedl Dicker and Franz Singer is unique. Probably originally designed for F. Dicker’s own apartment in the 1920s, the unique piece came into the possession of a companion family from whose estate it then came to the German art trade via their heirs. A matching armchair is in the collection of the MAK Vienna (€ 18,000 - 22,000).

Exciting tubular steel furniture by Erich Dieckmann has often been offered by us, but early, particularly rare kitchen furniture has never been: the 'kitchen utensils cupboard with side broom cupboard and side pot cupboard' from the type furniture series, 1928, is certainly to be seen in the context of the famous Frankfurt kitchen (Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, 1926); a collector's item of very special, museum quality. This copy originally came from the household of Anna Wagenfeld, Wilhelm Wagenfeld's widow (€ 22,000 - 30,000).

Rare, biomorphic, designs by Luigi Colani are diametrically opposed to the 'angular-functionalist-rational' designs by Dieter Rams for Braun; currently also to be admired in two very worthwhile exhibitions at the Bröhan Museum in Berlin, and at our premises at Theresienst. 60 in Munich. Seating furniture, radios, TV-sets as well as erotic reliefs (estimated prices between € 300 and € 1,000) from the pen of Colani meet the sober, elegant stereo equipment by Rams for Braun. Our contribution to Braun's 100th anniversary: the portable radio 'T 540', 1962 (€ 350 - 500), the stereo system ‚Audio 1 M', 1962 (€ 600 - 700) and a cult stereo system consisting of amplifier 'CSV 13', 1962, tuner 'CET 15', 1962 and record player 'PCS 51', 1965 will not only delight Apple fans (€ 1,500 - 2,500).

The Vitra Design Museum is currently juxtaposing exciting designs from East and West Germany in the extremely interesting exhibition 'German Design 1949 - 1989 Two Countries, One History'. Some of the exhibits shown in the exhibition can of course also be found in our auction. A small but fine chapter of GDR design offers selected items from the East: the famous 'play animals' by Renate Müller (seal, whale and turtle - € 700 - 1,200), the 'Rundfunk Stuhl' with felt cover by Franz Ehrlich, 1955 (€ 1,200 - 1,800) or the 'Rocking Trolley' icon by Hans Brockhage, 1950 (€ 700 - 900) are juxtaposed with classics from the West: exemplary Egon Eiermann's important three-legged 'SE 42‘ chair, 1949/50 (€ 2,000 - 3,000 for the pair), Helmut Bätzner's 'BA 1171 / Bofinger Chair', 1964 (€ 600 - 700 - four chairs and a table) as well as Hans Schwippert's museum sofa/day bed from the Bundeshaus Bonn, 1950 (€ 2,500 - 3,500).

We are delighted with the great interest in furniture and objects from the Bauhaus period and the lively interest in German design during the past auction and would like to thank everyone who participated. We are particularly pleased with the record hammer price achieved for the 'ti 1a' slatted chair by Marcel Breuer - a rare model with square legs. The price of € 110,000 for the valuable model is an absolute record for the market (according to Artnet and Artprice databases).

A similarly outstanding hammer price was achieved with the canapé by Franz Singer and Friedl Dicker. For € 60,000, the piece will go to a German private collection.

Other designs by famous Bauhäusler such as Marcel Breuer, Josef Hartwig and Christian Dell also found new owners. Also in demand were imaginative lighting designs by Ingo Maurer, designs by Egon Eiermann and therapeutic toys by Renate Müller.

Unsold objects can be purchased in the post-sale until August 6.