Immediate Release: BILLINGS Spring Modern Art & Design Sale Including Pieces by Magdalena Suarez Frimkess and Jan de Swart
BILLINGS is proud to present our Spring 2022 Modern Art & Design auction at our location in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, starting at 10am PT on March 26th, 2022.
The sale will feature 440 lots of exceptional mid-century modern, post-war and contemporary design and art. Highlighted in this sale is a wonderful selection of studio craft featuring lively ceramic animals by local Venice, CA ceramicist Magdalena Suarez Frimkess and a collection of various objects and sculptures by the late Los Angeles-based artist, designer, and inventor Jan de Swart.
Magdalena Suarez Frimkess (American, b. 1929)
Untitled sculptures, Lots 14, 15 and 16 of the BILLINGS Spring Modern Art & Design auction, March 26, 2022
Born in Venezuela, trained in Chile, and a resident of Venice, CA., American ceramicist Magdalena Suarez Frimkess has been known for her ceramic collaborations with her husband, Michael Frimkess, since the early 1960s, It was not until 2014, at age 84, that Magdalena began to receive recognition for her own work with her first solo exhibition at White Columns in New York. Since then, Magdalena’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions from Los Angeles to Milan and will be presented in a retrospective exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in 2022.
In an interview with kaufmann repetto on April 29, 2020, Magdalena explains that she “never puts names [on her work]: it’s ceramic or a sculpture or whatever”. She is inspired by her life and what is happening in the moment, “I just use whatever happens that day…it’s like a menu that you choose your food from”. Her collections include a variety of forms and themes, often with whimsical subject matters including cartoon characters, flowers, and pop imagery, and multiples of the same piece yet each one completely unique. “Repeat things…It breaks the monotony. It’s never, never the same…But it’s always something new, and you always learn something.” she says.
Magdenala’s lively animal models and functional objects are built by hand and then painted in a cloisonné-style process. BILLINGS is thrilled to bring four of these examples to market, including two versions of her cat sculpture, seen displayed at her shows and in her home studio during a Made in LA video interview by the Hammer Museum in 2014.
Jan de Swart (American/Dutch, 1908–1987)
'Viking' chair. Lot number 63 of the BILLINGS Spring Modern Art & Design auction, March 26, 2022
Dutch-born, Jan de Swart apprenticed at a young age under a skilled liturgical carver before moving to California in 1929. He took up residence at Park Moderne in Calabasas and found such unconventional jobs as gold prospecting in Arizona and furniture making. Jan de Swart found financial success through WWII by inventing industrial and commercial patents and finding unique applications for new technologies, of which the papers are being kept at the Smithsonian.
With financial security from his inventions, de Swart was able to focus on his artistic endeavors at his Eagle Rock home and studio 'Allegro',' dutifully cared for by his wife, Ursula. A technical virtuoso, de Swart was one of the first artists to use plastic in his work and experimented with many different materials, including exotic woods, aluminum, and bronze. Jen de Swart was not interested in selling his work and regularly turned down offers by professionals and friends alike. He preferred to keep his unique and wondrous furnishings, sculptures, puzzles and art displayed throughout his home, which the Los Angeles Times described as “an evolving work of art” that marveled local children and drew the attention of artists and architects from around the world.
Although sparingly, not all of Jen de Swart’s work remained hidden from public view. In 1948, arts and architecture featured an article by de Swart including images of pieces he created while studying the bandsaw. Soon after, the Institute of Art in Beverly Hills hosted an exhibition in his honor titled “Exploring Plastics”. In 1986, a retrospective exhibition of de Swart’s work was presented by the Laguna Art Museum, just one year before his passing. In an effort to keep his father's legacy alive, de Swart’s son started a foundation and managed a website sharing his father’s story and showcasing his work until he passed in 2017. Since then, a small quantity of de Swart’s pieces have periodically appeared on the market and at auction.
BILLINGS is honored to offer 16 works by Jan de Swart in wood, metal, and plastic as well as a masterwork, the Viking Chair.
Other highlights in this sale include early works by George Nakashima, a large sculpture by Elaine Katzer, enamel by Jade Snow Wong, a weaving by Peter Collingwood, large collections of Isamu Noguchi Akari lighting and pots by Willy Guhl, unique works by Karin van Leyden, a Charlotte Perriand / Ateliers Jean Prouvé table, several Hans Hopfer 'Mah Jong' sectionals and Michel Ducaroy 'Togo' pieces.
Our Scandinavian offerings are led by a set of Georg Jensen sterling silver 'Parallel' flatware, a Hans Wegner desk, a large raised Peter Hvidt sideboard, and an Ole Wanscher 'Colonial' daybed.
Italian highlights include a pair of easy chairs by Paolo Buffa, a glass painting by Angelo Barovier and works by Gio Ponti, Gino Sarfatti and Fontana Arte.
American design is also strongly represented in the sale with iconic works by Charles & Ray Eames, George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Paul McCobb, Karl Springer and Alexander Girard. Works by Ron Davis, Claire Falkenstein and John Saccaro round out our fine art category.
“We are pleased to present an eclectic, curated selection of twentieth century art and design, featuring exceptional California modernism and studio craft elements." - Rich Carmichael, BILLINGS Managing Partner
BILLINGS Spring 2022 Modern Art & Design
March 26
1919 Bay Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Auction
March 26, 10am (Lots 1 - 435)
Preview
March 19: 9am - 2pm
March 21: 10am - 4pm
March 22: 10am - 4pm
March 23: 10am - 4pm
March 24: 10am - 4pm
March 25: 10am - 4pm
Preview Party
March 25: 6pm - 9pm
About BILLINGS
Created to provide an accessible platform for the sale of quality modern design, furniture, art, decorative objects and accessories, BILLINGS was initiated to fill a void in Los Angeles’ design market through a decided absence of curated channels for the acquisition of exceptional historical and contemporary items.
Since its launch in 2015, BILLINGS has hosted quarterly auctions offering 300-400+ lots of modern design, featuring pieces from the pedigreed to the anonymous, the classic to the unusual, and the rare and note-worthy. Representing a wide range of American and international art and design, BILLINGS’ catalogs are often heavily weighted in mid-century modern selections with offerings from the 1960s through the early 2000s.
BILLINGS' in-house live auctions are open to the public and accessible online through LiveAuctioneers for online bidding. Registration and pre-bidding begins four weeks before each sale, with options to bid in-person, online, absentee or by phone bidding.
For more information and press inquiries, please contact Rich Carmichael at info@billingsauction.com or by phone at 213-947-3784.