Twentieth Century Design from the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art Arthur Drexler and Greta Daniel, The Museum of Modern Art, 1959. 95 pages, Softcover. First edition.
Furniture 2: Neoclassic to the Present William C. Ketchum, Jr., The Smithsonian Illustrated Library of Antiques, 1981. 128 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. Includes furniture from both the Cooper-Hewitt’s nascent collection as well as the Met and MoMA.—JZ
Design Since 1945 Kathryn B. Hiesinger and George H. Marcus, eds., Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1983. 251 pages, Softcover. Essays by seventeen designers, from Max Bill to Marco Zanuso. The foundational catalogue of the PMA’s collection and a seminal survey.—JZ
Modern Design in The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1890-1990 R. Craig Miller, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1990. 312 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. Early edition.
Japanese Design: A Survey Since 1950 Kathryn B. Hiesinger and Felice Fischer, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1994. 236 pages, Hardcover. Missing dust jacket.
Designing Modernity: The Arts of Reform and Persuasion 1885-1945 Wendy Kaplan, Thames and Hudson, 1995. 352 pages, Softcover.
Sitting on the Edge: Modernist Design from the Collection of Michael and Gabrielle Boyd, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1998. 164 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition with rare cover.
Modern Art of Metalwork: Collection Catalogue of the Bröhan Museum VI, State Museum of Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Functionalism (1889-1939). 598 pages, Hardcover. First edition.
Objects of Design from the Museum of Modern Art Paola Antonelli, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, 2003. 288 pages, Hardcover.
The Furniture Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam 1850-2000/From Michael Thonet to Marcel Wanders, NAI Publishers, Rotterdam, 2004. 456 pages, Hardcover.
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.
