Modern Art & Design

What did it mean to live and create art in the 20th century? Few auctions can claim to represent a hundred years of art with no physical or ideological boundary. Disparate influences, from world wars to jazz, inspired many artists in the century to disrupt conventional order. But told in this auction from Palm Beach Modern Auctions, too, are the stories of artists all over the world, from Vietnam (Le Pho) to Kansas City (Jim Leedy), who chose to defend tradition and functionality while bearing witness to madness. Included in this auction of 20th-century art offered by Palm Beach Modern Auctions are two icons of the abstract expressionist movement: the American painter Franz Kline and sculptor/ceramic artist Jim Leedy. While Kline and Leedy push boundaries, artists in this auction such as the Vietnamese painter Le Pho reimagine traditional scenes, like a mother and child surrounded by nature. Furniture in this auction includes the minimalistic grasshopper chairs of Danish designers Preben Fabricius and  Jørgen Kastholm, contrasted starkly by the gritty, earthy “crepuscolo” lamps of Italian designer Ercole Barovier. This auction does not shy away from contradiction nor conflict, which is very fitting when representing a century that will be known forever for its warfare. You can register to bid online on Bidsquare.