Incollect Magazine - Issue 4

Issue 4 120 www.incollect.com was influenced by the buildings in New York City including examples of Art Deco architecture like the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, which he considered iconic symbols of modern American genius and modernity. Frankl took his initial formal inspiration from French Art Deco and the idea of quality materials and craftsmanship. “He rejected the idea that modern furniture should be standardized and mass-produced,” Sadofski says, “instead, he promoted individual craftsmanship”. Pieces were produced in workshops and in editions but were all hand finished. His hardware, especially his pulls made of cast metal, are almost like pieces of jewelry. His designs often stress geometry and monumentality. TFTM Gallery has an original 1930 “Monumental Skyscraper Vanity” by Frankl that is so architectural it looks like a model of an industrial complex. “It is a masterpiece of the genre,” Sadofski says, pointing out that the piece retains all of its untouched original bright red lacquer, original stainless steel trim, nickel-plated brass pulls and the Frankl Galleries metal tag as a guarantee of authenticity. “These early Frankl studio pieces were custom made to order and extremely rare,” she says. 20cdesign in Dallas also has some extraordinary and rare Frankl furniture from the early years of American Art Deco modernism. “Frankl Skyscraper Sideboard” c.1928 is an early, spectacular example of American modernism and in original condition. It was likely produced at his shop in New York and, as Ryan Rucker from the gallery points out, retains “all original mirrored tops, glass shelves, bullet hinges, faceted solid brass silver leafed hardware and silver plated shelf ornamentation.” It is an outstanding period piece that reflects the style, ambition and lifestyle of the time. Converso, based in Chicago, has a few marvelous Frankl pieces including a custom dining table, which Lawrence Converso, owner of the gallery says was “designed for a project in La Jolla, California, circa 1930.” It is made of red and black lacquered wood, has a cork base, along with silvered glass and retains a Paul T. Frankl “Cloud” coffee tables in natural cork and bleached mahogany for Johnson Furniture Company, Model 5005, 1951. From 20cdesign. Paul T. Frankl armchair in polished nickel and leather for Frankl Galleries NY, 1929. Early Machine Age Modernism at its finest. The chair is a rare example of modernist nickel-plated steel and leather furniture designed by Paul Frankl. From 20cdesign.