Design: from collecting to investment, a growing market

Why invest in Design? Collecting in historicized design and investing in contemporary design also means giving added value to everything that accompanies us in everyday life. It should be noted that the lockdown has poured into the domestic environment many activities that were previously distributed and spread throughout the city, from work to more frequent habits and this has re-evaluated the furniture sector in general.

Furthermore, the economic downturn that has occurred in recent years has put organizations under increasing pressure to differentiate their offerings. Resource consumption pushes companies to derive value from what they do rather than from what they have. From this it emerges that an increasing number of companies have started to use contemporary design to differentiate themselves from the competition. The trend concerns any reality that wants to stand out from the competition.

Design is a strategic investment, not an expense. It is commonly accepted that all businesses aim for high performance, which means high levels of profitability. The most common profitability ratio is the measure of ROI (return on investment). Constantly investing in design is highly profitable, even in the long run. And in this vision that the design collecting becomes an asset class in which to invest, given that the market is still accessible to those who want to approach it, unlike contemporary art which has much higher costs. Furthermore, it should be noted that in the post-lockdown what emerges instead is a widespread recognition of the value of designing the home and a growing attention to defining the domestic environment in balance with the most essential and modern personal lifestyles.

More and more international auction houses are dedicating greater attention to design, proposing works especially on the squares of London, Paris and New York. An example the next Phillips auction in London which will be held live on May 12th at 14.00 pm.

Among the ceramics featured in this sale are works by Magdalene Odundo, Elizabeth Joulia, Georges Jouve and Hans Coper. Highlights of French design include works by Jean-Michel Frank, Jean Prouvé and Pierre Legrain. Outstanding examples of pre- and post-war Italian design include works by Osvaldo Borsani e Lucio Fontana, Gino Sarfatti, Ico Parisi, Gio Ponti and Carlo Mollino. Scandinavian craftsmanship is represented by two exceptionally rare sofas, one designed by Nanna and Jorgen Ditzel and one designed by Finn Juhl. The contemporary design is led by Jeroen Verhoeven and Ron Arad, among others. Composed of 156 lots, the collection will be on view from 6 May at the Phillips London galleries in Berkeley Square until the auction on 12 May.

Leading the sale is a Magdalene Odundo vase in burnished and charred terracotta and dating from 1987. Odundo emerged onto the art scene following her groundbreaking MA exhibition at the Royal College of Art in 1982. A distinctive round balanced base supports a rounded top of the body that widens, defined by two delicate ribs that run up to an oval-shaped edge. The edge is folded inward, creating an almond shape that frames the interior cavity. This geometry and exploration of form and form is characteristic of Odundo's work and offers collectors a rare example to acquire an early piece by the artist. Among the selection of French ceramics from a private collection to be offered at Design's London auction is a monumental sculpture designed by Elizabeth Joulia. Made in 1955 and acquired by Joulia's La Borne studio in 1978 by Alan Grizot, this sculpture was later acquired by Pierre Staudenmeyer, who bought the piece at an auction in Paris in 1991.

Un stool with rare lid in original condition drawn by Pierre Legrain it is a further strong point of the sale. The only known example of this model in existence, this tabouret has remained in the same collection since 2006, when it first appeared on the market. An archive image has since come to light with one such example of this tabouret present in Madame Jeanne Tachard's boudoir. An avid collector and patron of the most renowned Art Deco designers, Tachard was one of the few patrons for whom Legrain would design entire rooms.

Interesting is the rare side table designed by Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana. The architect and the artist worked closely together on several projects. This artistic collaboration has resulted in a range of furniture, examples of which have been offered at previous auctions by Phillips, most notably a wall mounted console which achieved a world record when it sold at auction for over £1million in 2020 .

A further highlight of the sale is the adjustable chandelier by Gino Sarfatti. A radical celebration of movement, the chandelier is a striking composition of seven brightly painted brass tubes that flow outward from a cylindrical brass shaft, revealing the dynamism at the heart of Sarfatti's lighting designs. Post-war Italy was characterized by change, by a movement towards new, challenging traditional ideas of design. In these years Sarfatti found fertile ground to give life to the many creative theories he conceived before the war without any stylistic hesitation.

Additional Italian design highlights for sale include works by Ico Parisi, Gio Ponti, and Carlo Mollino, among others.

Also interesting objects of Italian design lighting, works carried out by well-known designers for Murano glass art such as Barovier & Toso and Venini.

Fontana Arte we find several works including some by the designer Peter Church

All works can be seen in catalog

Cover image: Single table circa 1965 designed by Ico Parisi, manufactured by Brugnoli Mobili, Cantù, Italy.