RELEASE: Christie’s Collaborates with Markarian and CeCe Barfield Inc. for Interiors Auction: August 21-22, New York

Christie’s announces the summer Interiors auction of 495 lots of furniture, decorative objects, and fine art on August 21-22, will feature a collaboration with Alexandra O’Neill, designer of the ready-to-wear line Markarian, and CeCe Barfield Thompson principal of the interior design firm CeCe Barfield, Inc. The guest auction tastemakers have created capsule collections of dresses and homeware inspired by the objects in the auction, which will be sold exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman in New York beginning August 12. The auction preview will be held August 16-20 at Christie’s Rockefeller Galleries and will feature vignettes curated by the designers incorporating items from their capsule collections. A Christie’s Latesevent of gallery talks and other activities will take place on August 16 from 6-8pm.

From antique furniture to modern design classics, Christie's Interiors sale offers a broad range of pieces at accessible price points, with estimates starting at $1,000. Among the objects in the auction that provided inspiration for the designers’ capsule collections are a late 18^th/19^th century Dutch Delft blue and white 5-piece garniture; a pair of Italian marble inlaid jardinieres; a 19^th century Japanned and parcel-gilt tray-top table; and a pair of large button-tufted recamiers. A floral motif fabric on the recamiers was the primary inspiration for O’Neill and Thompson’s collections which can be seen on the plates, home items, and embroidered fabrics for pillows and dresses.

Bliss Summers, Co-Head of Interiors Sale, comments, “Christie’s is thrilled to partner with CeCe Barfield Thompson and Alexandra O’Neill, who are both young entrepreneurial designers who incorporate art historical heritage and legacy in their designs to create fresh, of-the-moment interiors and clothing. Their collection and their lot choices from the auction reflect their shared admiration for the history of design and a return to gracious living that imbue these objects.”

‘Imagine having the perfect hostess ensemble,’ says Alexandra O’Neill, who produced special fabrics for a collection of five dresses, ‘where you can have the dress that matches your linens, that matches your china and crystal. The great thing about antiques is that they can translate into something beautiful and modern for your home, that also has a history to it.’

“For the cover image, we chose a pair of recamiers in a palampore-inspired fabric and a japanned side table; both had inspired designs in our collections,” reflects CeCe Barfield Thompson. “Beyond the furniture, we both love porcelain and were incredibly inspired by all the patterns we saw in the warehouse. Details from the Dutch delft blue and white five-piece garniture can be found along the edge of the silver cups in the tabletop collection. The Chinese export octagonal platter was the inspiration for collections’ color palettes. The richly colored decoration on the plate is beautiful.” As CeCe noted, “The Interiors sales are inspiring beyond the objects themselves. They represent an old world sensibility that Ali and I both hope to evoke with our designs.”

About Christie’s

Christie’s, the world’s leading art business, had auction sales in the first half of 2019 that totalled £2.2 billion / $2.8 billion. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and international expertise. Christie’s offers around 350 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie’s also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War & Contemporary, Impressionist & Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery.

Alongside regular sales online, Christie’s has a global presence in 46 countries, with 10 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zürich, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

*Please note when quoting estimates above that other fees will apply in addition to the hammer price - see Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of the sale catalogue.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are reported net of applicable fees.