Incollect Magazine - Issue 4

Issue 4 122 www.incollect.com already his desire to move away from the more ornate decor and lavishness of French Art Deco. Numerous Incollect dealers have wonderful examples of Deskey design material from all periods — his andirons are especially popular and perhaps his most recognizable design today. An example of his initial American Art Deco vision, at TFTM, is a pair of original club chairs and a pair of original lounge chairs that were designed for the Grand Lounge in the Radio City Music Hall interior in 1932. They are unique chairs, handmade, that have been fully restored and recovered in period-style material. Deskey’s earliest modernist furniture was elegant, frequently in exotic woods or combining wood with metals, and was initially all custom made. Today it is highly prized among design collectors. High Style Deco in New York is offering a stunning circa 1935 sideboard manufactured by Widdicomb Furniture Company. Richly rendered in Art Deco black lacquer, burled Carpathian elm and walnut, it is a warm, sensual, clean-lined work of design. The streamlined, semi-circular compartments on each side further underscore the aesthetic. Several other Incollect dealers including Glen Leroux, Donzella and Lobel Modern have important early Deskey pieces for period collectors and anyone looking for exquisitely made and designed modernist furniture. Donzella has a rare desk and chair set made of copper-plated steel and walnut. Donzella believes these are a rare set that is possibly unique but likely custom variants of models produced by Ypsilanti Reed Furniture Corp. It embodies Deskey’s design style from the early 1930s. American Streamline Moderne, the second facet of American modernist design, was inspired by aerodynamic design and streamlining taking hold in industrial design during the 1930s. Modern American Streamline design was used in buildings, cars, planes, ships and industrial products and often emphasized curved forms, horizontal lines, and nautical or aerodynamic elements. Household items such as appliances, lighting, and furniture were subsequently ‘streamlined’ according to new principles utilizing materials that were frequently mass manufactured and therefore more widely affordable. Machine age industrial designers Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Geddes and Henry Dreyfuss are today closely associated with this movement, as is Warren McArthur, a designer for commercial and residential products who, following graduation from Cornell University with a degree in engineering in 1906, began designing and making, first in Los Angeles, then Rome, N.Y. and later Bantam, Conn., aluminum tubular metal chairs, tables, sofas, lanterns and lamps for homes, train seating and military and civilian aircraft. He is popularly known as the father of the modern aircraft seat. Rare desk and chair designed by Donald Deskey and produced by Ypsilanti Reed Furniture Corp. Walnut top and drawer boxes with copper-plated steel supports and details. A very rare set that perfectly represents Deskey’s design aesthetic from the early 1930s. From Donzella, photo by Josh Gaddy.

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