Curated: The Library and Design Collection of James Zemaitis 
6 June 2025
James Harvey Crate, Rare table lamp, model T-C-3 - Image 1 of 5
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Curated: The Library and Design Collection of James Zemaitis 
James Harvey Crate, Rare table lamp, model T-C-3 - Image 1 of 5
James Harvey Crate, Rare table lamp, model T-C-3 - Image 2 of 5
James Harvey Crate, Rare table lamp, model T-C-3 - Image 3 of 5
James Harvey Crate, Rare table lamp, model T-C-3 - Image 4 of 5
James Harvey Crate, Rare table lamp, model T-C-3 - Image 5 of 5
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James Harvey Crate

Rare table lamp, model T-C-3

Heifetz Manufacturing Co.
USA, 1951
spun aluminum, enameled aluminum, brass-plated aluminum, cork 25¼ h × 13½ w × 14 d in (64 × 34 × 36 cm)
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $5,080
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This model received Third Prize in MoMA's Low Cost Lighting Competition, 1951.
provenance: The Bailey House, Los Angeles (Cast Study House #20A) | Thence by descent | LA Modern Auctions, Modern Art & Design, 9 October 2016, Lot 110 | Private Collection
literature: Arts & Architecture, May 1951, unpaginated Interiors, April 1951, pg. 137

This work will ship from Lambertville, New Jersey.

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Curated: The Library and Design
Collection of James Zemaitis

At the intersection of scholarship and connoisseurship lies Curated: The Design and Library of James Zemaitis—an offering that reflects a career spent exploring, documenting, and shaping the discourse around modern and contemporary design. This carefully assembled selection includes both a compelling group of design works and a rich library of publications that have guided and inspired James Zemaitis throughout his decades in the field.

As Director of Museum Relations at R & Company since 2016, James has played a central role in developing exhibitions and fostering institutional partnerships. His recent curatorial projects, including Born Too Tall: California Women Designers, Postwar to Postmodern, demonstrate a thoughtful and inclusive approach to design history. Prior to his time at R & Company, James held leadership positions at Sotheby’s and Phillips, producing over fifty design sales and helping shape the trajectory of the postwar and contemporary design market.

This collection reflects James’s deep engagement with the material and intellectual history of design. The included library—rich with foundational texts, rare catalogues, and scholarly references—provides a rare window into the ideas and research that have underpinned his work as a curator, advisor, and educator.

This auction brings together design and scholarship in a way that reflects a lifetime of passion and purpose. We are honored to invite collectors, curators, and enthusiasts alike to discover a collection shaped by insight, research, and enduring care.

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