Boutique Selections of Contemporary Art, Midcentury Furniture Lead Palm Beach Modern’s Feb. 20 Auction

2026-08-18 10:43:18 Business

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West Palm Beach, FL ? Sunny southeastern Florida, the global epicenter for cool modern design, is home to the premier source for investment-grade art and furniture: Palm Beach Modern Auctions (PBMA). While many modern-design aficionados wish they could keep their favorite gallery a secret, PBMA?s high-profile sales of coveted celebrity collections have made that impossible. The gallery sells to a discerning international clientele in dozens of countries around the world. PBMA?s eagerly awaited next auction will take place on Saturday, Feb. 20 and features an elite offering of modern design, art, furniture and accessories.

?For this sale we decided to take a boutique approach,? said PBMA auctioneer and co-owner Rico Baca. ?We?ve put together groupings of interesting, high-quality works by artists and designers whom we know to be in demand with collectors right now. We?re giving bidders exactly what they want ? a curated selection featuring all the right names.?

The immortal designs of master furniture designer and craftsman George Nakashima are represented in an array of forms. Lot 115, a classic walnut 4-drawer chest with freeform edge comes with a copy of the original invoice from Nakashima Studios and is estimated at $6,000-$8,000. It is immediately followed by a similar but straight-edge four-drawer chest with a letter of authenticity from Nakashima?s daughter, designer Mira Nakashima. Lot 116 is expected to make $5,000-$7,000. Made in 1964, Lot 117 is the star of the group, a fully documented 85-inch-long George Nakashima walnut coffee table estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

Continental furniture highlights include Lot 54, a Gabriella Crespi (Italy) ?Elisse? coffee table of brass and lacquered wood with four retractable leaves, $10,000-$15,000; and Lot 215, a unique Louis Durot (France) dining table commissioned by the consignor through Magen H Gallery XX Century Design, New York. The table is accompanied by the original commission agreement and invoice, and has a $10,000-$15,000 estimate.

The modern and contemporary art market is on a solid course for 2016, with some outstanding works poised to take the spotlight on February 20th. Lot 84, a large and early original oil painting by Jim Dine (American, b. 1935-) titled ?Room Painting? is artist-signed and dated 1958 and has a Mark Borghi Fine Art gallery label on verso. Measuring 48.75 inches square, it is estimated at $30,000-$40,000.

Twelve pieces of exquisite French Lalique glass from a private collection will be offered, starting at Lot 291. The highest-estimated entry is Lot 298, ?Miroir un Cygnes,? a centerpiece that includes two frosted and etched-glass swans resting on a rippled-mirror plateau. Designed in 1945 by Rene Lalique, it comes to auction with a $7,000-$9,000.
Palm Beach Modern Auctions? Feb. 20, 2016 auction will begin at 12 noon Eastern Time at the company?s exhibition center, 417 Bunker Rd., West Palm Beach, FL 33405. Preview: Mon.-Fri. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from 9 a.m. onward on both auction days.

All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through Bid.modernauctions.com or LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 561-586-5500 or e-mail info@modernauctions.com. Web: www.modernauctions.com. View the fully illustrated auction catalog online at https://bid.modernauctions.com or https://www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

CAPTION:
Jim Dine original oil-on-canvas titled ?Room Painting,? 1958, 48.75in square, est. $30,000-$40,000 (Palm Beach Modern Auctions photo)