A Tribute To Geoffrey Baxter

Like most drawn to my profession, before we became dealers we were collectors. My initial interest was in 20th century modern Italian art glass and Scandinavian pottery. For me, there was only Murano manufactured art glass and ceramics by Stig Lindberg or Gufstason that peaked my interest and soaked up my paypal account back in the days of buying impulsively from European dealers on ebay. Naturally, opening a showroom I found it necessary to segue that obsession into more functional objects, however in time I would come across an art glass designer whose amazing work in mid century modern design would force me to look at Britain's contribution to this genre. He is not a famous designer, at least not to the states which makes him a strong candidate for me to blog about.

Geoffrey Baxter was born in 1922 and worked for the leading handmade glass company, Whitefriars owned by the James Powell & Sons family of glass makers. Since 1834, the Powell family developed their glass manufacturing reputation as internationally important as Tiffany and Galle. When Baxter joined the company in 1954, he was the first glass designer hired outside the family to produce, "modern" glass which was monopolized at the time by Scandinavian manufacturers. While Baxter was himself influenced by the clean modern lines of Scandinavian art glass he definitely threw his own spin on his work that would make his designs stand out from that of Scandinavian and Italian modern art glass alike.

Not only was his strong point of view apparent in his designs but also his use of color and, I believe, a sense of humor and pop culture. His textures were produced by deep relief mouldings designed of organic and mimicking shapes of tree bark, musical instruments, tools, technology, and, my favorite; a layer of bricks piled by a drunk! His colors were bold and typically produced in tangerine, kingfisher blue, indigo, pewter, aubergine, cinnamon, willow and the rather rare - lilac.

You can visit the Whitefriars.com website to learn more about Baxter and his glass and the fair value of these pieces. Occasionally you can find them on ebay fetching anywhere from $100 pounds (not very common in the states - typically sold by British dealers) to over $700 pounds each.

This is where I would say "Or you can find them at Modlife for much less" but quite honestly, I sold out of much of them and what I have left I'm not ready to let go of. But I can always acquire them for the serious collector.

NEVER MET A NAGEL I DIDN'T LOVE

One of the coolest things about being a collector is uncovering variations of items that you covet the most. For example, the iconic mid-century modern chrome candle holders made by Nagel, Germany has a myriad of styles and metal finishes. You will find these candelholders sprinkled about the U.S. usually purchased from 20th century modern stores like Modlife or from dealers on ebay. Typically, you will find the classic chrome 3-footed candlestick which allows you to build various configurations by plugging them into one another like a jigsaw puzzle of your own design. You can build a tower or a centerpiece adding accessories such as the bowls. They hold thin danish style candles which aren't always easy to find in the states but the candlesticks are so decorative you needn't really dress them with candles anyway.

The candlesticks where designed by Fritz Nagel and Ceasar Stoffi and manufactured by BMF/Nagel, Germany (Beyerische Metall Fabrik) in the space age area of the 20th century. Since then variations have circulated including brass/gold metal, brutalist textures, bird-shapes, shooting stars, rosewood and metal candelabra (pictured above) to name a few. What they all share in common is how they are designed to stack and create a centerpiece or a sculpture to your own specifications depending on the size, variations and number of units you own. Typically the popular Nagel chrome unit sells anywhere from $10-$50 each depending on where and how many you buy - the most affordable naturally, being in Germany where they originate. You can still find dealers on ebay but unless you buy them in large quantities it may not be worth the cost of having them shipped internationally. As for this collector - I keep my eye out for the rarer less common variations - some of which are on sale at Modlife. For more information call the showroom at 773-425-8338

Thanks Apartment Therapy for the link - right back at you! (Click Here)

LONG TIME NO BLOG

When I decided to write a blog I never intended to make it a daily journal however, I certainly intended to keep it up. I have failed to do that but in my defense, I have been busy with other pressing issues. Modlife is now on vandm.com and I am thrilled to report that we have over 80 items posted with various photos, accurate dimensions and detailed description of our inventory. In the past month we have sold dozens of vintage modern furnishings to various designers in New York. I was rather suspicious as to why all the clientele was coming out of New York and then I discovered an Apartment Therapy story on vandm.com which highlighted a pair of my Ward Bennett sleigh chairs (now sold) with a link to my storefront on the website. Lesson? Go global. There are those who like to see and feel the furniture, "kick the tires" if you will, but as we have become electronic consumers it does not seem to matter if we are buying shoes, soap, a television or a chair - we have come to trust buying online as a preferred way of shopping.

That being said, we have updated our website: http://www.modlifehome.com/ as well. We now feature, in addition to our inventory, a gallery page which displays vignettes of furnishings in our showroom complete with lighting art and accessories. We also added "Mod Makeover" which shows the "Before and After" images of reinvented furnishings including chairs, case goods, lighting, etc.

Finally, we have been fortunate to exhibit some local talent here in our showroom. Our 5 year anniversary in October (wow! it has been a long time since my blog updates) we sponsored "ARTiversary" a cocktail reception celebration featuring 3 Chicago artists; Paul Roberts, Mel Platzke and John Park. We completely sold out of Mel Platzke pieces but he has worked diligently to restock us with a few more pieces and they just keep getting more amazing.

Well that is all I have to report now but I promise to be more frequent with news, updates and mod stories.

Midcentury Modern Canvas Painted Wall Art Sculpture | VandM.com

Midcentury Modern Canvas Painted Wall Art Sculpture VandM.com

The Modern Wing, Art Institute of Chicago

"The Bathers," Henri Matisse

Chess Set by Man Ray

The Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago has opened this week after a 4-year anticipation and 294 million dollars in design and construction. The building designed by Renzo Piano extends the modern and contemporary art collection through the north wing of the Art Institutes's 130 year old classic design building. The sparkling modern expansion bridges the museum into Millennium Park and spills into the more flamboyant architecture of Frank Gehry's band shell.

The atmosphere of the modern wing is extremely tranquil and looks and feels modern in it's bright airy flow and environmental considerations in space and light. The roof garden provides natural noise and thermal heat installation, while the public gardens provide stunning views. The building was constructed with recycled and local materials where possible and is illuminated by photocell lighting. The towering steel and glass facades pay tribute to Chicago's hallmark architect, Mies Van Der Rohe, who also inspired the steel-rod suspended staircase for the Arts Club of Chicago.

As you enter the wing from either Monroe or the museum you are sucked into a bright, narrow minimalist hallway that offers nothing you would expect from a museum. The first floor houses rooms for temporary exhibits, (currently Cy Twombly) classrooms and The Modern Shop but absolutely void of any interest in it's corridor. Perhaps this will change as they curate sculpture for the main level or it was intentional for renting the space for events, but it feels more like a sterile office building than a museum.

Up the staircase - and if you get vertigo you may want to take the elevator - and you are on the second floor which displays several rooms of Contemporary Art, 1945 to 1960, and after 1960, much of which the museum never had room to exhibit. Another room of interest is Architecture and Design which displays tomorrow's classic modern contemporary furniture and lighting made by Capellini, Flos and Vitra, to name a few.

Up one more flight of stairs and you've arrived to what makes this whole expansion worth the visit; European Modern Art, 1900-1950. The museum is very proud to include in their collection Henri Matisse, "The Bathers by a River" a significant painting in size and in the cradle of cubism and surrealism and the story that follows in the works of Picasso, Juan Gris, Rene Magritte, Salvidor Dali, Mondrian and Man Ray. For me entering this room was like hearing Puccini while everything that led to it was merely the orchestra warming up.

I attended college at Columbia across the street and spent much of my 20's in the museum on Tuesdays (free day) getting inspiration or sketching paintings by Max Beckman or Giorgio DiChirico - so much of this collection is as familiar to me as an old friend. But to see it expanded and included with dozens of new acquisitions that contribute to the European Modern art genre is a special treat that will give me reason to revisit the Art Institute more often... that and the opportunity to dine at Tony Mantuano's Terzo Piano for lunch (always been a fan of Spiaggia) on the third floor.

Preview Mod

Hidden in an unsuspecting strip mall of A1A in Ft. Lauderdale is a most impressive 20th century modern home furnishings showroom called Preview Mod. The proprietors, Stan and Nikki hail from their British roots and find Ft. Lauderdale their home and an ideal home base for their store when they are not travelling to New York for an antique show or to buy and sell in Europe for the summer.
I first met them in their former location in Delray Beach and was impressed by their merchandise as well as their lovely manner. They seemed to have a great deal of knowledge of their inventory and it's creator, dates, value, etc., which is essential in this business especially when you are dealing in pieces that are not commonly familiar. And in a town where lucite lamps are abundant and Milo Baughman chairs are a dime a dozen, it's a breath of fresh air to find a dealer bringing something new (well, different at least) to the table.

For example, in a recent visit they display a Norman Foster "Nomos" table/desk designed in 1987 (yes, we are beginning to see 80's design in the vintage modern genre... sort of makes you feel old doesn't it) for Tecno, Italy $3,700. What makes this table so special is that (Sir) Foster designed only a few furniture items, this being the most interesting, while focusing his career as a highly praised architect of bridges, museums, airports and British courts.




Another item of interest in Preview Mod is this stunning "Sphere" dining table and 4 lucite/chrome chairs by Boris Tabacoff, France 1969, $9,500. What makes this set so special is both the condition and the rarity that it all survived the years together. It is shown with a Castiglioni "Frisbee" hanging light fixture and is back-lit by a Gio Ponti "Pirellone" floor lamp for Fontana Arte, 1967, $2,700.

This all makes for a lot of name dropping in copy but if you visit the store and preView these pieces in person, you would find Stan and Nikki anything but pretentious and consider calling your bank and your shipper to arrange to take these items home.

You can visit the showroom at 3321 NE 32nd St., Ft.Lauderdale (A1A & Oakland Blvd.) or on the web at previewmod.com Call ahead in case they are on the road or abroad: te. 954.565.1645