Italy: The New Domestic Landscape. Achievements and Problems of Italian Design Emilio Ambasz, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, in collaboration with Centro Di, Florence, 1972. 432 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition. Seminal, and rare in its present state.—JZ Glassine with losses to front and spine. Jacket is age-darkened and has five cutouts in the fold, which can be arranged as one likes. Interior binding with some separation and one loose page. Previous owner’s name on inside cover, some pencil notations.
Italian Design Pieces from the Period 1951 – 1973, Galerie Wolfgang Ketterer, München, 03/24/1984. Provenance: R & Company Archives (deaccessioned). Includes a remarkable collection of Italian radical design prototypes, many of which have connections to Italy: The New Domestic Landscape. Important and rare.—JZ
Memphis: Research, Experiences, Result, Failures and Successes of New Design Barbara Radice, Rizzoli, New York, 1984. 173 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket.
Studio 65 Ennio Chiggio et al., Electa, Milan, 1986. 173 pages, Softcover. Provenance: Mark McDonald.
Gaetano Pesce: Architecture Design Art France Vanlaethem, Rizzoli, New York, 1989. 126 pages, Softcover. Excellent early monograph in English on the designer.—JZ
Ettore Sottsass: A Critical Biography Barbara Radice, Rizzoli, New York, 1993. 261 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First American edition.
Ettore Sottsass: Important Works from a Private Collection, Christie’s, New York, December 2013. 123 pages, Softcover. A selling exhibition of works from the collection of Sottsass and his wife, Fernanda Pivano.—JZ
Ettore Sottsass and the Poetry of Things Deyan Sudjic, Phaidon, London and New York, 2015. 208 pages, Hardcover.
Il Mercante di nuvole. Studio65: Cinquant’ anni di futuro Maria Cristina Didero and Franco Audrito, GAM, Turin, Skira, Milan, 2015. 293 pages, Hardcover. First edition with Italian and English text.
Bowie/Collector - Part III: Post-Modernist Design: Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis Design Group, Sotheby’s London, 11/11/2016.
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.
