1. While many credit him
with bringing rock-star
style and catwalk cachet to the
auction world, James Zemaitis
cringes when people call him “that
20th century design guy.” True, he
has that edgy hipster look. Sure,
he has brought ultra-cool energy
to Sotheby’s exhibitions with his
sleek, eye-catching catalogues.
And, yes, he captured the attention
of the media in 2006 by selling the
voluptuous Lockheed Lounge,
by Marc Newson, for just under
a million dollars.
But Zemaitis insists there is more
to him than new-school cool, and the
same can be said for 20th century
design, which spans 1890s Prairie
School masterworks to Arts and
Crafts, Art Deco, Tiffany lamps, all
the way through 21st century
design from Milan and exhibited
in the Museum of Modern Art.
“I hate it when people think that I'm
only interested in 20th century work,
because I have some pretty
eccentric tastes that go way back.”
For Zemaitis, that includes a
self-professed fetish for Handel
glass lamps with reverse-painted
shades, and a serious weakness for
post-war Danish furniture from
designers like Hans Wegner.
“I’ve always been a collector, so I
have the dream job,” he says.“I can
combine collecting with curating.”
Zemaitis says the key to smart
collecting is rarity first, provenance
second, and third, a question:
“Whether it’s a $5,000 chair or a
$500,000 chair, is it museum quality?"
he says.“What’s exciting about 20th
century design is that it’s still possible
to get museum-quality master work
that you’ve been careful enough to
recognize as a potentially lasting and
important piece at a sensible price.”
The
expert
James Zemaitis, Director, 20th Century
Design, Sotheby's New York
W o r d s pa u l a s to ry
The "Miss Blanche" chair, in clear acrylic resin,
anodized aluminium and artificial roses, is
listed at $150,000 to $200,000. sothebys.com
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