Wright: Auctions of Art and Design

Desire & Design: A Private Collection 25 June 2020

The present lot was designed for the Lever House Restaurant (now Casa Lever), which was designed by Newson in 2003. The legendary Lever House (built 1950-52 by Gordon Bunschaft and Natalie de Blois of Skimore, Owings and Merrill) had fallen into a state of disrepair and it was acquired by developers in 1998. Lever House was restored and the restaurant was added on the ground level; the interiors echoed the warm, modernist design of the original building. Newson's interior design recalled the Lever Houses' mid-century origins, with a honeycomb motif on the ceilings and carpet, Andy Warhol portraits, and space-age-like rounded forms, as found in the walls, entryways and chairs.

Marc Newson b. 1964

Born in Sydney in 1963, Marc Newson spent his childhood traveling in Europe and Asia. His mother took a job working for a leading Australian architecture firm, exposing Newson to design at early age. He attended Sydney College of the Arts to study jewelry and sculpture, graduating in 1984. Newson was awarded a grant from the Australian Crafts Council to stage his first exhibition where he presented his Lockheed Lounge Chair that would be purchased by the National Gallery of Southern Australia. Newson moved to Tokyo in 1989 where he met the owner of Idée, Teuro Kurosaki with whom he would produce numerous designs for over the years. From Tokyo, Newson moved to Paris before settling in London and opening his own design studio, Marc Newson Ltd. Not one to be categorized, Newson has designed cars, jets, and watches in addition to his iconic furniture. In 2005, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. His work is housed in the collections of several major museums around the globe including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.

Auction Results Marc Newson