#wright auction

Keith Haring, ‘Radiant Baby’ (Wall Drawing), c. 1985,

Painted on the wall of his childhood bedroom in Kutztown, PA,

Acrylic and latex on sheet-rock wall unitimage: 4 h × 5⅛ w in (10 × 13 cm), Overall: 30 h × 24 w × 4½ d in (76 × 61 × 11 cm)

Photo by Charles Daniels, Courtesy Dr. Christine Isabelle Oaklander,

Enzo Mari, “Variazione 719″, 1963,

Screenprint on Aluminum, 19½ h × 19½ w in

Gianfranco Fini, “Programma wall light, New Lamp, Italy, c. 1970,

Like an illuminated work of art, reminiscent of pieces created by Julio Le Parc, Luis Tomasello, Jesús Rafael Soto, this wall-mounted design features numerous panels that can be opened and closed to create an infinite number of compositions. 

While the precise number of Programma lights produced was never documented, the design was one of the more expensive works by New Lamp and very few originals are known.

Stainless Steel, Methacrylate,

41 w × 8 d × 41 h in (104 × 20 × 104 cm)

Frank Lloyd Wright, “Drawings for the John L. Rayward House,” 

New Canaan, Connecticut USA, 1955,

Ink and Colored Pencil on Paper,

Presentation drawing,  24½ h × 34 w in  62 × 86 cm,

Perspective drawings,  16½ h × 16½ w in  42 × 42 cm,

Plan,  31 h × 34 w in  79 × 86 cm,

Ibibio Artist, “Idiok Ekpo mask,” Nigeria, 20th Century,

Carved and Painted Wood

11¼ h × 7 w × 5½ d in (29 × 18 × 14 cm)

In 1960, notable textile artist and interior designer Alexander Girard brought to life La Fonda del Sol, a Latin-American-themed restaurant located on the ground floor of the Time & Life Building in New York City. Commissioned by innovative restaurateur Joseph Baum, Girard designed the opulent interior, evocative of a contemporary branded space­, to transport guests to an imagined world through extraordinary decoration and attention to detail.  

He drew inspiration from personal interest in Latin culture and history, and his passion for the art and ritual of dining. In collaboration with Girard, Charles and Ray Eames designed the La Fonda pedestal chairs for the space with a shorter seat height to allow direct view of the tableware.

The restaurant featured a melding of cultures represented through elements including a Mexican ceramic tile fountain, marble from Cuba, carved wooden doorways from Brazil, and a Pre-Columbian stylized sun motif that hung above the adobe-enclosed cocktail lounge. Objects from his extensive personal collection of Central and South American folk art adorned the walls and he insured great care was taken to represent the cultures with detail and respect.

We sat down with the founder of Wright Auction, Richard Wright, to discuss the longevity of mid-century modern and the future of bidding in the Internet age.

Read the full interview on Knoll Inspiration.