How Mid-Century Modern came about
The term Mid-Century Modern stuck to objects created in the middle of the 20th century, after the publication in 1984 of the book "Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950's". In it, journalist Kara Greenberg described the work of American designers from the post-war period (Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Florence Knoll, Isamu Noguchi). Today 1933-1965 is considered to be its borders. Serious interest in the design of these years arose in the late 90s: interior magazines wrote about the Mid-Century Modern, furniture from this period began to appear in advertisements and television talk shows, in films and TV shows.
Design products of this time are perfectly combined with modern art, and in 2005 the first international fair Design Miami became a constant companion of Art Basel, most of which was occupied by stands dedicated to the Mid-Century Modern.
At the same time, the collectible design items Mid-Century Modern attracted the interest of investors. In the 2000s, the auction house Wright, followed by Phillips, Christie's, Sotheby's and others, opened branches dedicated exclusively to design, and items from the Mid-Century Modern period became an important part of their sales. Serious collectors drew attention to them, and prices began to skyrocket. The most demanded market segments today are Scandinavia (Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, Finn Juhl, Kaare Klint, Gunnar Asplund, Alvar Aalto, Eero Saarinen), France (Jean Prouvet, Charlotte Perrian, Pierre Jeanneret) and Italy (Joe Ponti, Osvaldo Borsani BBPR). However, they have already been well researched and no one expects serious shocks from them. The discovery of the past two years has been, for example, Brazilian designers (Jose Zanin Caldas, Lina Bo Bardi, Joaquim Tenreiro,Sergio Rodriguez, Oscar Niemeyer).
1 of 6 Scandinavian Design - Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery booth at Design Miami / Basel © Press Office Scandinavian Design - Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery booth at Design Miami / Basel © Press Office Pierre Polen Furniture - Jousse Enterprise Gallery Booth at Design Fair Miami / Basel © Press Office Jean Prouvet and Charlotte Perriand Furniture - François Laffanour - Galerie Downtown at Design Miami / Basel © Press Office Jean Prouvet Collapsible House and Furniture - Patrick Seguin Gallery stand at Design Miami / Basel © press service
How popular is Mid-Century Modern in Russia
According to experts, interest comes to Russia with a slight delay. According to the collector design researcher Pavel Ulyanov, we have almost no serious collectors who are ready to pay for a chair for a collection or for an investment even € 3,000. Alina Pinskaya, owner of the Moscow gallery "Palisander", believes that this area is already of interest to people professionally versed in design issues, but commercial demand is just emerging.
The popularity of design items in the mid-twentieth century is quite natural, says Pavel Ulyanov: “This is a completely natural process, since in conditions when the main goal of modern designers is simply to sell more, there is nothing left but to return to things from the times of attempts to build a social state, when designers created human-oriented objects”.
“A classic that looks great in modern homes - this is how Christina Krasnyanskaya, the founder of the Heritage gallery, which specializes in Soviet design of the mid-20th century, characterizes objects from the middle of the last century. - Since these things were conceived for smaller post-war houses, they are suitable for residents of today's cities, they are mobile and lightweight, ergonomic and functional. Thin legs, smooth surfaces, curved and clear geometric shapes, minimal decor, juxtaposition of contrasting bright materials, all this still looks very modern."
1 of 6 Exposition of Mirra Gallery © Mirra Gallery © Mirra Gallery © Mirra Gallery © Mirra Gallery © Mirra Gallery
What things of the Mid-Century Modern period can be considered collectible design
It is necessary to clearly distinguish between items related to collectible design of the Mid-Century Modern era, and things simply created in the middle of the last century. Collectible are prototypes or items produced during the lifetime of the designer. The name of the author, awards of international specialized reviews, construction or materials, the use of which left a mark in the history of design, are very important. At the same time, there are things of this period, maybe very high quality, but nameless, which, accordingly, are less valuable. The items that are produced today, even according to the drawings of the designers themselves, do not have collectible value.
Jorge Zalzupin, bookcase © Gate 5 gallery
How are prices for collectible design formed?
Pavel Ulyanov gives an example of price formation for design items of the mid-20th century: “Let's compare the work of three Danish designers - Finn Julia, Ib Kofod-Larsen and Arne Hovmand-Olsen, who studied together, professed the same principles, and used very high quality materials. An untrained person may like the last two chairs in terms of performance, art form and ergonomics even more than the work of Finn Yul. However, the name of Finn Julia is widely known, he won at least 16 exhibitions of the furniture makers' guild in Denmark alone, took several Golden Compasses at the Triennale in Milan (Triennale di Milano design museum -), participated in the organization of the historical exhibition Good Design, designed the UN meeting room in New York, so his works cost tens of thousands of euros today,the lesser-known Larsen's furniture costs several thousand, and Olsen's only a few hundred euros."
According to Aurelie Julien, the founder of the consulting company Aurelie Julien Collectible Design, which works with architects and private clients, and a consultant on the acquisition of collectible design, in addition to the name of the designer, the provenance and state of the item are important factors in the price.
1 of 5 Charlotte Perrian, armchair © Marie Clérin Laffanour Galerie Downtown BBPR Studio, ceiling lamp, model # 2045, 1962 © Nilufar Gallery Hans Wegner, Wishbone chairs, 1949 © Joe Ponty Rosewood Gallery, Stools, 1950s © Gallery “Rosewood"
Is it a profitable investment
Since the beginning of the 2000s, the design market of the mid-20th century has been showing steady growth; prices for some items have increased several times.
A real event in the Mid-Century Modern market is the sale at Christie's in 2005 of Carlo Mollino's desk for a record $ 3.8 million at that time. Another example - in 1996, the auction house Wright sold a coffee table to Isam Noguchi for about $ 9 thousand, and in 2005, a very similar thing by the same designer was sold for $ 330 thousand. The Jean Prouvé chair, which in the late 90s could be bought for € 150, now costs € 5-7 thousand.
The owner of the Mirra gallery, Irina Mogilatova, says that the armchairs of Osvaldo Borzani, bought a few years ago, from the 1940s turned out to be so rare that the Triennale di Milano Museum asked them for an exhibition of the designer, which was held in 2018, and they themselves had already quadrupled in price. Cosmoscow and Antique Salon participant Olga Egarmina, owner of the gallery "Circulation 1/1" (Tirage Unique) says: "Five years ago, in a small gallery in Switzerland, I discovered two famous Pierre Jeanneret kangaroo chairs for € 30,000. Now one costs about € 50 thousand ".
1 of 2 Pierre Jeanneret, Chandigarh armchairs, Tirage Unique Gallery © Tirage Unique Gallery Charlotte Perrian, chest of drawers, Tirage Unique Gallery Unique) © Gallery "Edition 1/1" (Tirage Unique)
Aurelie Julien believes that for collecting Mid-Century Modern the annual budget should be at least € 500 thousand. With this money it will be possible to assemble a collection of 10–20 more or less significant items.
It should be remembered, however, that the collectible design market is not regulated and does not provide any guarantees. When speaking about the liquidity of these assets, one should take into account a rather narrow circle of buyers, which narrows even more as prices rise. You should not expect a quick return on investment. Therefore, you need to buy items that you like to live with. To get the maximum profit, you need to monitor demand and sell the item at its peak. Design is much less prone to price fluctuations than, for example, works of art.
1 of 5 Carlo Molino, table for the Royal Mutual Insurance Society, 1946-1948. Estimate $ 180-220 thousand, sold for $ 470,500 © Phillips auction house Isamu Noguchi, table The Goodyear, 1939. Estimate $ 2-3 million, sold for $ 4,450,500 © Phillips auction house Carlo Mollino, table, 1949. Estimate $ 600-800 thousand, sold for $ 986,500 © Phillips Auction House Finn Juhl, Chieftain chair, 1950. Estimate £ 150,000-250,000, sold for £ 290,500 © Phillips Auction House Pierre Jeanneret, set of six chairs model # PJ-SI-28-D Chandigarh, 1953-1954. Estimate £ 30-50 thousand, sold for £ 40 thousand © Phillips auction house
Novice Collector's Cheat Sheet
For those who are seriously thinking about collecting Mid-Century Modern designs, Alena Pinskaya recommends delving deeper into the topic or trusting professionals. And experts Kristina Krasnyanskaya and Pavel Ulyanov advise adhering to the following rules: