Schools of Design

At the end of the year, we present our annual highlight auction 'Schools of Design' featuring around 300 objects from the 20th-century design history. Look forward to rarities from the Bauhaus era, anthroposophical design, as well as furniture and objects from three prestigious private collections with exciting focal points.

The auction opens with the 'Hoge Stool', a chair designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1919, followed by Josef Hartwig's Bauhaus chess set 'XVI'. Designed in 1924, this chess set is one of the most successful products that emerged from the Weimar Bauhaus. With simple, stereometric pieces, Hartwig aimed to create a chess set fundamentally different from traditional forms. The set is estimated at €9,000 to €12,000.

Anthroposophical design is a coveted collecting field with significant potential for value appreciation. We are delighted to offer several pieces of furniture, decorative objects, and jewelry from a private collection. This includes a dining room ensemble consisting of four chairs and a table by Siegfried Pütz (estimated at €5,000 - €7,000). Among the jewelry pieces inspired by Rudolf Steiner, a standout is a yellow gold pendant with tourmaline, estimated by Quittenbaum at €3,000 - €3,500.

Quittenbaum is proud to once again have the honor of auctioning design and art from the private collection of design experts and art mediators Mieke and Jan Teunen. Highlights include works by Italian designer and architect Enzo Mari for Danese. A group of seven cubes containing stereometric forms, produced for Danese between 1959 and 1963, is estimated at €3,000 - €4,000. From a private collection in the Rhineland, Alessandro Mendini’s 'Czech Cubism' chairs stand out as eye-catchers, expected to fetch an estimated €1,800 - 2,500. Designed in 1991 as a re-design for Vitra, Mendini’s so called 'Janák' chairs pay homage to a chair design by Czech architect Pavel Janák and Czech Cubism, produced in a limited edition of 15 pieces. Quittenbaum presents all three color variants.

In 2014, Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne honored renowned design photographer Tom Vack with a solo exhibition, Vanity of Object. Born in Chicago in 1948, the design and product photographer collaborated over the decades with Ingo Maurer, Ron Arad, Philippe Starck, and Massimo Iosa Ghini, capturing their designs in atmospherically charged settings. Quittenbaum is pleased to offer three wonderful photo works by Tom Vack: his photographic portrayals of Shiro Kuramata’s iconic 'Sing Sing Sing' armchair, George Nelson’s 'Coconut Chair' and Ron Arad’s 'Well Tempered Chair.' Developed by Vack himself, each photograph comes in a custom-made box with a matching mat and a certificate of authenticity (estimated at €3,000 - €4,000 each).

From Tom Vack’s own collection, we also present the 'Tom Vac' chairs, designed by Ron Arad in 1997. Four chairs from the limited edition of 500 are estimated at €9,000 to €10,000. Additionally, three turned oak vases by Ernst Gamperl are estimated at €3,000 - €5,000. Gamperl remarked on the photos Vack took of his works, “It was a very stimulating exchange and exciting to see how he views my work.”

In the French Design section, Jean Prouvé’s 'SAM 502' table is set to thrill collectors. Produced by Ateliers Jean Prouvé in Nancy starting in the 1950s, the piece is estimated at €38,000 - €45,000. This section also includes a selection of lighting by Serge Mouille. The International Design segment features Shiro Kuramata's colorful chest of drawers, the 'Revolving Chair' (estimated at €2,800 - €3,500), Karl Springer’s 'Knife Edge Dining Table' (estimated at €4,000 - €5,000), and the impressive prototype table 'Kigumi' by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

We invite you to visit our preview at Theresienstraße 60 in Munich. We look forward to welcoming you!