Ron Arad - Design London Thursday, May 2, 2024 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg, New York, '20-21st Century Design Art', 8 December 2003, lot 196
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Exhibited

    'Ron Arad', Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, 11 May-4 September 1994

  • Literature

    Deyan Sudjic, Ron Arad, London, 1999, pp. 116-18, 216-17
    Matthew Collings, Ron Arad Talks to Matthew Collings, London, 2004, pp. 70, 73-74, 77
    Ron Arad: A Retrospective Exhibition 1981-2001, exh. cat., Barry Friedman Ltd., New York, 2005, p. 24

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Fondation Cartier in Paris, completed in 1994, redefines the conventional notion of buildings tailored for the arts. Instead of embracing rigidity and enclosure, it promotes transparency, fluidity, and openness. Crafted by the visionary architect Jean Nouvel, this architectural marvel rejects a conventional façade in favour of seamlessly integrated glass layers.
    Unapologetically unconventional, the Fondation Cartier served as the perfect canvas for a special installation commissioned as part of its inauguration celebrations. The renowned artist Ron Arad was tasked with adorning the entrance floor of Nouvel's creation. Arad's installation featured forty tables—including the present lot—varying in size and shape, each featuring a shiny, highly reflective mirror polished stainless steel top supported by minimalist steel legs. The reflective surfaces of the tabletops became a captivating focal point within the gallery, casting intricate patterns of light and shadow that danced across the space. They mirrored the surrounding elements—glass, sunlight, sky, and foliage—as well as the intrigued observers who navigated the gaps between the tables for a closer look. Together, they reshaped the spatial dynamics of the gallery, inviting visitors to embark on an immersive visual journey unlike any other.

    Phillips wishes to thank Caroline Thorman from Ron Arad Associates for her assistance in cataloguing the present lot.

  • Artist Biography

    Ron Arad

    Israeli • 1951

    Ron Arad's work and career is characterized by his movement between modes and constant experimentation. Arad was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1951 and studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Art before moving to London in 1973. He began his practice in London in the early 1980s and set up One Off Ltd, focused on limited edition objects, with his partner Caroline Thorman. A decade later he had moved to industrial production techniques and collaborations with large design firms such as Vitra and Kartell.

    A persistent theme throughout his work is innovation and the idea of the "new." Still producing work today, Arad uses the latest technology to produce his designs and also integrates it within his pieces, such as his Lolita Chandelier (2004) that can receive and display text messages. Arad also continually experiments with materials and has an exceptional skill to coax volume and undulation out of them, with a particular affinity for metal. His works such as The Big Easy chair (1988) walk the line between design and sculpture. Once an outsider, Arad's relentless energy to design, build and collaborate has placed him firmly within the highest ranks of the design world.

    View More Works

12

'Cartier' table, from the Fondation Cartier Installation, Paris

1994
Mirror-polished stainless steel, steel.
72.1 x 299 x 124 cm (28 3/8 x 117 3/4 x 48 7/8 in.)
Produced by Ron Arad Studio, Como, Italy. Number 9 from the edition of 40. Underside of top incised 9.

Estimate
£15,000 - 20,000 Ω

Sold for £20,320

Contact Specialist

Antonia King
Head of Sale, Design
+44 20 7901 7944
Antonia.King@phillips.com
 

Design

London Auction 2 May 2024