Ask any stylish millennials their favourite era of furniture and design, and the reply will almost certainly be mid-century modern.
The combination of clean lines, functionality, simplicity and a lightness of touch seems inspirational to those born in the 1980s and 1990s (and even those born a little earlier).
That the furniture represents a sharp contrast to the older heavier furniture their parents owned is another factor. But, it’s also because most of the chairs, sideboards and tables from this design era fit comfortably in both modern and period homes.
“People want open floor plans, less stuff and room to breathe,” said one Washington Post writer, talking about the design trend that is here to stay because people in their 20s appreciate the light materials, slender frames and casual attitude, while older shoppers are drawn to the history and nostalgia for the 1950s and 1960s.
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Well, “mid-century modern” fans need look no further than the Adam’s sale of 20th Century Design and Contemporary Art to satisfy their interior design desires this week.
There is a fine selection of pieces from Irish, Italian and Scandinavian designers in the timed auction, from 2pm on Tuesday, October 22nd.
A Non-Conformist chair (€2,000-€3,000) and a pair of adjustable chrome E-1027 side tables (€1,500-€2,000) by Eileen Gray, are among the six lots from the Irish designer and architect, whose house, E-1027 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in the south of France, is considered a modernist masterpiece. One of her famous lacquered folding screens and a leather transit chair (€4,000-€6,000) are also for sale.
A burl wood coffee table (€2,000-€3,000) by the Italian photographer and designer Willy Rizzo is one of the many stunning tables and low sideboards in the auction of almost 200 lots. There is also a delightful range of table and floor lamps, which are sometimes the first pieces to be purchased by millennials starting their interiors collections.
There is plenty of Irish art from the 20th century to choose from at the Morgan O’Driscoll Irish and International Art Online Auction, which will also close on Tuesday, October 22nd. “We have paintings from the 1850s right up the present day, including Roderic O’Conor, Jack B Yeats and William Conor from the early part of the 20th century, to Norah McGuinness and Tony O’Malley from the 1970s and 1980s, up to present-day painters including Donald Teskey and Sean Scully,” says O’Driscoll.
He says there was great interest in the 2021 Sean Scully painting, Wall Dark Green (€500,000-€700,000) during the west Cork viewings of the 170 lots last weekend.
“Sean Scully paintings rarely turn up in Ireland, and to have one of his newest paintings on the market is special,” he says. Incidentally, there are a few Sean Scully art works in Adam’s Mid Century Modern auction next week too.
A 1960s photograph of French intellectuals Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre with Argentinian Marxist revolutionary (Ernesto) Che Guevara, a big figure of the Cuban revolution, taken in Cuba by photographer Alberto Korda (€1,000-€1,500) is the only photograph in the Morgan O’Driscoll sale. Also of interest are some art works by Irish wood turners, including Liam Flynn’s ebonised oak vessel (€2,500-€3,500), and the enigmatic sculpture Grinding Water by Emmet Kane (€2,000-€4,000). The seasonally apt Farmstead Autumn by Hungarian-born French painter Francois Gall (€3,000- €5,000) is among the works by international artists for sale.
Meanwhile, John Barber is hoping for a crowd at the Wexford Opera Festival Antiques Fair at the Talbot Hotel in Wexford, October 24th-28th, 11am-8pm each day. Barber, who bought furniture for Buckingham Palace at one stage during his career as an antique dealer in the UK, has been running the fair since 2021. He will sell furniture, porcelain and silver there. And don’t be surprised to hear some pop-up operatic arias throughout the fair of more than 20 dealers – Marie Curran (glass and jewellery), Norman Allison (rugs and antiques) and Matthew Weldon (jewellery) to mention just a few – selling their wares.
And Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers will host their autumn Chatsworth Fine Art sale on Wednesday and Thursday, October 23rd and 24th, in their auction rooms in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. Among the more than 1,000 lots is an impressive range of antique silverware, an eclectic variety of vintage jewellery and some attractive oriental porcelain bowls, platters and vases.
Finally, John Weldon auctioneers on Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin, suggests men thinking about proposing to their girlfriends this Christmas should pop along to the jewellery, watches, silverware and coins auction on Tuesday, October 22nd. “When looking at diamonds, pick something that is simple and elegant in style,” he suggests. A diamond solitaire ring set in 14ct gold (€800-€1,200), a diamond solitaire ring set in 18ct gold with diamond shoulders (€2,500-€4,500) or a diamond solitaire right set in platinum (€600-€900), are among the items for sale.
adams.ie; morganodriscoll.com; fonsiemealy.ie; jwa.ie
What did it sell for?
Woman with Vase of Flowers by Colin Middleton
Estimate $10,000-$20,000
Hammer price $19,000 (€17,372)
Auction house Potomack Company, Virginia, US
18th-century marine chronometer, Haley of London
Estimate £1,200-1,500
Hammer price £1,700 (€2,000)
Auction house Ross’s
Early 20th-century merchants display
Estimate €600-€800
Hammer price €2,600
Auction house Adam’s
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