Sotheby’s and Christie’s hold major biannual design and decorative art sales next week. At its auction of Important 20th Century Design on June 12, Sotheby’s will offer an early, rare, minimalist chair, made of anodized steel, circa 1989, designed by Donald Judd, that is expected to fetch between $40,000 and $60,000. According to the catalogue, the importance of the design hinges not only on its functionality as a chair but also as “a literal participant in the delineation and effect of a minimalist space.” Also expected to be a top seller, a rare “Dragon and Waterflowers,” Tiffany table lamp, circa 1898, that is expected to light up at $150,000 to $200,000.
Animals abound at Christie’s Important 20th-Century Decorative Art & Design sale, one of three design sales scheduled for June 13. Two lots of Francois-Xavier Lalanne’s charming, coveted, flocks of sheep—one wooly and a later one made of epoxy stone—are expected to lead the sale: “Moutons de Laine,” designed in 1965 and executed in 1975 (est. $500–700,000), and “Nouveax Moutons” designed in 1990 and executed in 1996 (est. $400–600,000). They were owned by singer Andy Williams, who kept both sets at his home in Branson, Missouri— one indoors and one outside. When he acquired the latter set, Williams said: “I liked my indoor sheep, and I thought the outdoor sheep would be fun to have on the lawn here. They make me smile.”