The Wassily, also known as Model B3 chair, was designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925-1926. It was his bicycle that inspired him to use steel tubing to create the frame. Tubular steel was never used in furniture design before but Breuer reasoned if the steel could be bent into handlebars, it could be bent into furniture forms.  This was the beginning of a furniture revolution as within a year, designers everywhere were incorporating tubular steel into their furniture designs.

The Wassily was modelled after a traditional club chair but all that remained was the outline. Breuer called this chair his “most extreme work…the least artistic, the most logical, the least ‘cozy’ and the most mechanical.” The name “Wassily” was given after Italian manufacturer Gavina picked up the license for the chair and learned that the painter Wassily Kandinsky admired the original design and was given the chair by Breuer for his home. It was Gavina that started to produce the chair with leather straps that eventually phased out the original canvas straps.

The Wassily chair is a design classic and an excellent example of Bauhaus modernism.

An original Wassily (with canvas straps). Sold at a Christie's auction in 1999 for $93,948

The January edition of our Design Selections is now out.

This month we thought that we would suggest some beautiful art to energise your space!

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at the top right hand of our website.

We recently acquired this original exhibition poster for the New York Collection for Stockholm, presented at the Moderna Museet.  The exhibition ran from October 27 to December 2, 1973 and was funded by the Swedish Ministry of Education. This promotional poster was designed by renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg (American, October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) and would have been made in a limited number prior to and during this exhibition.

Artists involved in the show included: Lee Bontecou, Robert Breer, John Chamberlain, Walter de Maria, Jim Dine, Mark de Suvero, Öyvind Fahlström, Dan Flavin, Red Grooms, Hans Haacke, Alex Hay, Don Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Morris, Louise Nevelson, Claes Oldenburg, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, George Segal, Richard Serra, Keith Sonnier, Richard Stankiewicz, Frank Stella, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Kenneth Noland and Robert Whitman.

At the time these individuals were considered (deservedly so) to be some of the most important artists of the New York art scene. In retrospect, this list now reads like the who’s who of American 20th century contemporary art!

We would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2012!

We thought that you would appreciate this New Year card designed by Brian Tsang for design firm Eskid Waddell and their client Just Type.

Created in 1982 it is an excellent example of minimal typographic design.  It looks as fresh today as it did over two decades ago.

Image courtesy of the Canadian Design Resource.

Source: AIGA Design Archives.

With just three days to go before the big day we thought that now would be a good time for the second installment of our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide.

All items are available to view and purchase at our shop at 965 Queen St West or in our Online Store.

We hope you find our last minute suggestions useful. If you have any questions feel free to contact us.

Happy Holiday!

Wearable Art: (From left to right)

An unusual Sterling silver and Azurite modernist ring. Circa 1970 – $250

A sculptural Sterling silver and blue enamel studio necklace. Circa 1960 – $650

Keith Haring style sterling silver cuff links. Made in Mexico. Circa 1970 – $180

Decadent Decanters: (From left to right)

´Cluck Cluck´ decanter by Jacob Bang for Holmegaard, Denmark.Circa 1960- $280

Ice blue decanter by Stromberg, Sweden. Circa 1960 – $250

Aqua blue decanter attributed to Holmegaard, Denmark. Circa 1970 – $250

Scandinavian ceramics: (From left to right)

Hand painted ceramic bowl by Stavangerflint, Norway. Circa 1960 – $450

Ceramic faience ´Baca´ vase by Nils Thorsson for Royal Copenhagen, Denmark. Circa 1960-$350

Incised ceramic´Cave drawing´vase by Mari Simmulson for Upsala Ekeby, Sweden. Circa 1950 – $350

Contemporary  candle holders: (From left to right)

Silver plated Danish candle holders. Circa 1960´s – $120

Modernist candle holder with blown glass shade by Fohl, West Germany. Circa 1960. $180

Silver plated ´Ribbon´ candle holder by Dansk, Denmark. Circa 1960 – $150

Andy Warhol’s classic silkscreen of Elizabeth Taylor fetched $662K at the Christie’s Elizabeth Taylor auction held at Rockfeller Centre in NYC this past Wednesday. The lucky bidder not only received the iconic portrait but also a handwritten thank you letter that was sent to Warhol from Taylor. The screen legend waited over 14 years to acquire the personalized painting which reads: To Elizabeth, with much love.

Taylor will always be known for her impressive jewellery collection but from a young age, she appreciated decorative arts.  She grew her art collection over decades and inherited many paintings from her father, an art dealer. Christie’s calls her private collection an “exceptional group of late 19th century and early 20th century French and British paintings and drawings.” These were not auctioned off at the recent auction. Instead, they will be presented by Christie’s in London on February 7, 2012 at the Impressionist & Modern Art auction.

This is not the first Liz portrait to command top dollar. In June 2010, the famous Silver Liz (with violet coloured eyes – one of the only two made by Warhol)  sold for £6.7 million at another Christie’s auction held in London. This particular silkscreen had not been seen for over 20 years when it went under the hammer.

The image of the actress was taken from a publicity photograph for the film, Butterfield 8. Warhol started the paintings the year Taylor became gravely ill with pneumonia. When she recovered, Warhol went back to them and added the brightly coloured lipstick and eyeshadow.

Elizabeth Taylor was always a muse for Warhol.  Men in Her Life, a 7-foot canvas inspired by a photo from Life Magazine, features Taylor walking with her third and forth husband. The black and white painting sold for $63 million when it was auctioned off at Phillips de Pury & Co. in NYC on Nov. 8, 2010. It was the second most expensive Warhol painting ever sold at an auction. The most expensive? Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car 1), 1963, sold at an auction in 2007 for $71.7 million. The most expensive private Warhol sale was for Eight Elvises, which was sold to a private collector for $100 million.

Andy Warhol's 'Men In Her Life'

The December edition of our Design Selections is now out.

This month we thought that you might like a few stylish gift suggestions for the holiday season. All of these items are available to view in our store at 965 Queen St West  or online. If you have any questions or need further suggestions feel free to contact us!

If you would like to receive this monthly mailing feel free to sign up here, or click the Subscribe button at the top right hand of our website.

We would also like to take this opportunity to wish all our clients a happy holiday and a healthy and prosperous 2012!

images via Dezeen

If you have spent time in the UK, you will know Pizza Express. Located in almost every major city, this chain pizzeria is a staple in the British diet. Although the restaurant usually does do a good job of working with its original interiors and exteriors, we can’t help but be impressed with the decor in their Richmond (London) location. The Living Lab concept restaurant which was designed by Ab Rogers was unveiled about a year ago.

What so special about this location (besides the obvious)?

• Customers can play their own music from their iPods when sat in one of the booths.
• The kitchen has suspended mirrors above so diners can watch their pizza being prepared.
• The lighting domes above the tables can be controlled by the customers to create their own ambiance.
• No more waiting to get the server’s attention – just press a button and the dome above the table illuminates to attract a server to your table.
• Projections play at either end of the restaurant and a soundscape plays in the washrooms.

Who needs fish and chips when you have Living Lab Pizza Express?

With the holiday season just around the corner we thought that now would be an appropriate time for the first installment of our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide.

All items are available to view and purchase at our shop at 965 Queen St West or in our Online Store.

We hope you find our stylish suggestions useful. If you have any questions feel free to contact us.

Enjoy!

Functional Sculpture:

Nagel candle holders. Made in Germany. Circa 1960 – $120

Alessi steel ´Maya´ bowl. Made in Italy. Dated 1977 – $150

Chrome steel bookends. Made in Germany. Circa 1960 – $120

Modernist Glass:   (From left to right)

Holmegaard ´Soap  bubble´ vase by Per Lutken. Denmark.  Dated 1960 – $185

Italian ´Sommerso´ vase. Murano Italy. Circa 1960 – $450

Swedish modernist vase. Attributed to Aseda Glassworks, Sweden. Circa 1960 – $180

Kaj Franck footed vase for Nuutajarvi Nottsjo, Finland. Signed. Dated 1962 – $600

Italian faceted ´Sommerso´ vase. Murano Italy. Circa 1960 – $130

Nanny Still vase for Riiihimaen, Finland. Signed. Circa 1960 – $350

Scandinavian grey footed vase. Attributed to Stromberg, Sweden. Circa 1960 – $150

Animated Alessi:

´Ovo´ cookie jar by Joanna Lyle. Made in Italy. Dated 1994. $130

´MGP´ pitcher by Michael Graves. Made in Italy. Dated 1991. $250

´Anna G´ corkscrew by Alessandro Mendini. Made in Italy. Dated 1994. $50

Industrial Italian:

´Multiplor´ desk organizer. Design by R Pirovano, Italy. Circa 1980 – $50

Guzzini thermal carafe. Made in Italy. Circa 1980 – $60

Salt/pepper dispenser. Design by Pino Spagnolo for Biesse, Italy – $40

The next installment of our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide will be posted in the next week…….

Tell the time in style! Here are a few modernist timepieces that we currently have in store……..

Just in this iconic ‘Diamond’ lounge chair by renowned American designer and sculptor Harry Bertoia for Knoll Associates, New York.

First designed in 1953 and still made to this day by Knoll, this sculptural lounge chair is fabricated from high grade, cut and welded steel wire.  The end result is not only a comfortable, supportive chair but also a visual study of form and space.

Stamped ‘Knoll’ on frame. With original grey seat pad.

The Winter 2011 edition of DESIGNLINES is now available! Our favourite picks in this issue include our clients Anda Kubis and Dean Martin’s home in ‘The Royal Treatment’. Levitt Goodman Architects put a bang into this 1955 bungalow while staying true to its mid-century character. With its wide-open space and dramatic roofline, one can’t help but admire this beautifully designed space.

American architect Barton Myers put his mark on Yorkville over 41 years ago when he built Toronto’s first ever glass and steel home. Get a peak inside it in “1970:Period Piece”. Although it has changed hands a couple of times since Myers built it for his young family, the updates have all been true to his original vision.

And don’t forget the ever informative city wide Shop Guide! Take a weekend to discover a new area in Toronto.

You can pick up a copy of this latest issue at Atomic or at selected boutiques, galleries, and design showrooms throughout the city.

Enjoy!

Located in a wooded part of downtown Madrid are the the offices of Selgas Cano, a Spanish architect firm who self-designed the unique workspace.  They don’t talk too much about the office on their site but say that materials used in the construction included trees, plants, acrylic, polyester with fibreglass, wood and concrete.

The office features a 2cm thick curved window, which allows natural light to pass through eliminating the need for excessive artificial lighting. There is a hinged opening with a weighted pulley system at one end to allow for natural ventilation when needed.

I am sure that overtime is a regular occurrence in this office!

{images via HUH}

Just in this rare `Pallade` light fixture designed by Studio Tetrarch and made by iconic Italian lighting company Artemide.

Designed in 1968 the spherical `Pallade` is constructed from heavy duty ABS plastic and houses a glass diffuser designed to create an even pool of light focused on any item directly below. It is the perfect  kitchen or dining room fixture. The light  effortlessly embodies all which is great about Italian pop that was so dominant in Italy during the 1960`s.

Bellissimo!

Stamped `Artemide` `Made in Italy`

Yesterday evening we attended the opening night of Art Toronto 2011 held at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto.

Now in its 12th year, the Toronto International Art Fair provides the opportunity to view the work of some of Canada’s best contemporary artists as well as international representation from galleries based in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and further afield.

We thoroughly enjoyed a great deal of the work exhibited.

Works which particularly appealed to us included:

Toronto based artist An Te Liu represented by MKG127 Gallery.

The work of Guido Molinari represented by Paul Kuhn Gallery, Calgary.

The photography of Michael Conway, represented by The Elaine Fleck Gallery.

The virtuoso work of glass artist Dale Chihuly represented by Sandra Ainsley Gallery.

Plus a monumental minimal installation of interlocking cubes, entitled ‘Strip Cube’ by Ross Bell represented by Georgia Scherman Projects.

Art Toronto runs from October 28th to October 31st at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. Tickets can be bought online here.