Auction 181 A 24 March 2026
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PREVIEW: THERESIENSTR. 60
Thursday 19.03. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday 20.03. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday 21.03. 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 22.03. 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday 23.03. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
QUITTENBAUM Kunstauktionen GmbH
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PRE-AUCTION REPORT
We will open the 2026 auction year on March 24 with the Design auction. The offering, comprising just over 500 lots, covers a wide range of 20th-century international design and combines iconic items with collector's pieces and an extensive private collection.
The Dr. Bernhard Serr Collection (cat. nos. 1-62), featuring around 60 items, will kick off our auction. On offer is a selection of influential international design objects from the 20th century, including predominantly rare lights and objects from everyday culture. This private collection has been built up over decades. Since its inception in the late 1970s, it has been characterized by an interdisciplinary interest in technology, music, and art. Trips to museums and architecturally significant locations in Europe and the USA led to the continuous expansion of this exciting collection and inspired the collector to engage in an in-depth examination of various design trends of the 20th century. The collection focuses on designs from the 1960s to the 1990s. It includes key examples of post-war modernism, radical design, postmodernism, and the Memphis movement. Iconic designs such as the 'Toio' floor lamp by Achille and Pier Castiglioni, Superstudio's sculptural 'Gherpe' lamp, the experimental Alchimia lamps 'Paramount' (cat. no. 10) and 'MGM' (cat. no. 11), and the rare 'Sfera' lamp by Patrizia Innocenti and Sergio Gobbi (cat. no. 13) illustrate Bernhard Serr's interest in technical innovation combined with extraordinary aesthetics and pop culture. The famous and classic lamps by Ettore Sottsass play a particularly important role in this context. The lighting collection is complemented by intriguing objects from everyday and home culture. Some of these objects were in daily use, creating a direct link between the collection and the living space. The Serr Collection documents key designs in 20th-century international design and thus reflects an extraordinary and knowledgeable collecting activity. With the presentation of the Serr Collection at the auction on March 24, we invite you to discover this important testimony.
Following intense bidding battles in our previous highlight auction 'Schools of Design', we are delighted to once again be able to offer an extraordinary object by Dutch architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld (1888-1964) in this auction. The children's wheelbarrow 'Kruiwagen' (cat. no. 157) will be up for auction, the prototype of which Rietveld designed in 1923 for the son of architect and member of the De Stijl group J. J.P. Oud (1890-1963). A drawing of the wheelbarrow can be found in a letter from Rietveld to Oud dated October 5, 1923. The model shown here, made in the 1970s by Gerard A. van de Groenekan, combines beech wood sticks and plywood in the colors yellow, red, blue, black, and white—a combination in which function, form, and play merge in pure geometry.
The wheelbarrow comes from the collection of a German architect who was a close friend of van de Groenekan and was able to acquire several objects directly from the carpenter's estate. The wheelbarrow is valued at € 12,000 to €15,000.
A separate chapter is devoted to the works of Piero Fornasetti, the iconic designer with an unmistakable design signature. Fornasetti's works move masterfully between art and craftsmanship. Whether umbrella stands, wastebaskets, or plates—everyday objects are transformed into stories through Fornasetti's imagery. The 'Leopardo' chest of drawers (cat. no. 336) and the impressive 'Archittetura' secretary cabinet (cat. no. 339) add special accents. The prototype of this model was created in 1951 in collaboration between Piero Fornasetti, Gio Ponti, and Fratelli Radice. The version offered here has an estimate of € 20,000.
Inspired by the first moon mission, the growing enthusiasm for space travel and outer space also became noticeable in private life in the 1960s – Space Age design moved into living rooms around the world. Catalog numbers 217-267 are examples of this new design language, which was characterized by organic lines, spherical shapes, and the use of materials such as plastic, fiberglass, and chrome-plated metal. In addition to three modular seating elements from the 'Corbi' series by German manufacturer COR (SP € 9,000–12,000) and the rare 'Star Trek' table lamp by Jeannot Cerutti (cat. no. 217), our auction also includes pioneering objects from the field of hi-fi technology. Cassette recorders, record players, and loudspeakers were no longer thought of as functional devices, but rather as objects to be displayed in the home. The eye-catcher is undoubtedly the spherical 'Vision 2000' stereo system (estimated price € 3,000–4,000). Designed by Thilo Oerke in 1970, the music system became the epitome of space-age design with its round, transparent cover and chrome frame.
In addition, the console and side table 'Rising Sun' by Italian designer Gabriela Crespi (cat. no. 421) and an armchair '37/400' by Alvar Aalto (cat. no. 202) are sure to make collectors' hearts beat faster.
You are cordially invited to discover the objects from March 19 to 23 at our premises at Theresienstraße 60.
Lino Sabattini
Six-piece coffee and tea service 'Como', 1957
Coffee pot, teapot, creamer, sugar bowl, table bucket; tray. H. 7-21.6 cm; 49 x 30.5 cm. Christofle, Paris.
Silver-plated brass.
Marked: Rooster, GALLIA FRANCE, knight, PROD. CHRISTOFLE.
Eidelberg (Ed.), Design 1935 - 1965, New York 1991, p. 164 f.
€ 5,000 - 6,000
306
Jean Lurçat Tapestry 'Le Coq Thon', c. 1955
135.5 x 105.5 cm. Mme. Goubely, Aubusson. Wool, polychrome, handwoven. Marked: Lurçat, weaver's mark, washing label with all details and numbering M 1612.
€ 2,800 - 3,200
437
Afra Scarpa; Tobia Scarpa 'Artona' coffee table, c. 1975
H. 40 x 139 x 139 cm. B&B, Maxalto, Milan.
Maple root wood veneer, birch, beech, oak and solid fruit wood.
Cf. Gramigna, Repertorio 1950-1980, Milan 2001, p. 415 f.
€ 2,000 - 3,000
Piero Fornasetti
Secretary cabinet 'Architettura', 1950s (design)
H. 218 x 80 x 41 cm.
Fornasetti, Milan, 1980s.
Wooden box construction, printed architectural scene in black on a cream-white background; clear lacquer.
Marked: Manufacturer's label (2x).
The lighting needs to be replaced.
Fornasetti, Fornasetti, The Complete Universe, Milan 2021, p. 348-349.
€ 20,000 - 25,000
Piero Fornasetti 'Leopardo' chest of drawers, 1950s (design)
H. 82.5 x 100 x 55 cm.
Fornasetti, Milan, 2019.
Wooden box construction, brown and yellow printed decoration, brass, colorless glass. Marked: Manufacturer's plaque, brush mark, numbered "No. 4 di 10 / 2019".
Designed in the 1950s for the Fornasetti family villa in Varenna. Number four in an annual edition of 10.
Fornasetti, Fornasetti, The Complete Universe, Milan 2021, p. 370-371.
€ 15,000 - 18,000
157
Gerrit Rietveld Children's wheelbarrow 'Kruiwagen', 1923 (design)
H. 31.5 x 85.5 x 29 cm.
Gerard A. van de Groenekan, Utrecht, 1970s. Beech rods, plywood, painted yellow, dark blue, white, black and red.
Marked: Manufacturer's branding; H.G.M. G.A.v.d. Groenekan, DE BILT NEDERLAND.
A sketch of the wheelbarrow can be found in a letter from Rietveld to J.J.P. Oud dated October 5, 1923. Presumably, the prototype of the design was created for Oud's son.
Provenance: The wheelbarrow comes from the collection of a German architect who was a close friend of van de Groenekan and was able to acquire several objects directly from the carpenter's estate.
Küper/van Zijl, Gerrit Th. Rietveld The Complete Works, Utrecht 1992, p. 90, No. 67.
€ 12,000 - 15,000
136
Fuld u. Co., Telephon- und Telegrafenwerke AG, Frankfurt am Main 'Bauhaus' telephone, 1929
H. 12.3 x 11.2 x 15.5 cm; handset: L. 24.5 cm.
Handset made of black Bakelite; brass sheet, black lacquered or nickel-plated, dial enameled white.
Marked: 7800/S, FN-3/40A.
Office for Industrial Design, New Building New Design, Das Neue Frankfurt, Dresden 1984, p. 191, illustration of the Frankfurt Register in issue 4/1929, Nerdinger et al., 100 Jahre Werkbund, Munich 2007, p. 163 ('The Form').
€ 400 - 500
158
Richard Winkelmayer
Floor lamp with parchment shade 'M11', 1927
H. 178 cm, Ø base 40 cm.
Metallwerkstatt Staatliche Bauhochschule Weimar; Walter & Wagner, Schleiz. Plywood, painted black, nickel-plated brass, parchment paper.
Provenance: The floor lamp was delivered in the late 1920s by the metal workshop of the Bauhochschule Weimar to a family of manufacturers in Schleiz. Many years later, the daughter of this family gave the floor lamp to its current owner.
Exh. cat. Die Metallwerkstatt am Bauhaus, Bauhaus-Archiv, Berlin 1992, p. 311.
€ 7,000 - 10,000
268
Hans J. Wegner
Two 'JH-501' chairs, 1950
H. 76.5 x 63 x 52.5 cm.
Johannes Hansen, Copenhagen. Oak wood, wicker work.
Marked: Manufacturer's stamp and designer's monogram (brandings).
Provenance: owned by a family in northern Germany since the 1960s.
Holmsted Olesen, Wegner, Just one good chair, Ostfildern 2024, p. 52, p. 134 ff.
€ 3,800 - 4,500
In American parlance, the chair is simply called 'The Chair' – as if there were no alternative, ever since it achieved worldwide fame in 1960 through the televised presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Kennedy had sat on the JH501 model by furniture manufacturer Johannes Hansen, as he preferred a comfortable chair due to his back problems. Wegner himself was modest and referred to the piece of furniture, which to this day is considered one of the most famous Danish pieces, simply as 'the round chair' (den ronde stol).
122
Erik Höglund
Ceiling chandelier, 1960s
H. 46 cm, overall H. 88 cm; w. 64 cm. Kosta Boda, Boda.
Forged metal, blackened, sheet metal, colorless and amber glass.
€ 900 - 1,200
353
Hans J. Wegner
Armchair 'CH 445' with Ottoman, 1960 (design)
Armchair: H. 105 x 89 x 97 cm, Ottoman: H. 37 x 62.5 x 49 cm.
Carl Hansen, Copenhagen.
Red textile cover, metal tube, matt chrome-plated.
Marked: manufacturer's plaque (2x), numbered: 103387 and 103414.
Holmsted Olesen, Wegner, Just one good chair, Ostfildern 2024, pp. 214-215.
€ 2,000 - 3,000
362
Fontana Arte, Milan
Ceiling light, 1960s
H. 105 x 90 x 10 cm.
Glass block, colorless, blue, frosted on one side, sheet and tubular brass.
€ 6,500 - 7,500
322
Fontana Arte, Milan
Coffee table, c. 1958 (design)
H. 35.5 cm, Ø 79.5 cm.
Wood, plywood, varnished, mirrored glass plate, copper-colored. Wooden version.
Cf. Deboni, Fontana Arte, Turin 2012, No. 409.
€ 5,500 - 6,000
209 Murano
Ceiling light, circa 1930
H. 100 cm, Ø 32 cm. Blue 'Pulegoso' glass, amber 'Cordonato' glass, brass tube and sheet metal.
€ 5,500 - 7,000
279
Marco Zanuso 'Lady-chair', 1951 (design)
H. 83.5 x 81 x 88 cm. Arflex, Milan.
Brass tube, lacquered black, body with cream-white textile covering. Fabric renewed.
Cf. Gramigna, Repertorio 1950-1980, Milan 2001, p. 25.
€ 1,800 - 2,200
368
Angelo Brotto
Four Pendant lights, 1960s (design)
H. 86 cm (with suspension), Ø 41 cm. Esperia, Poggibonsi.
Glass, colorless, included air bubbles and gray metal oxides, brass sheet, tubular brass.
€ 3,800 - 4,200
415
Mario Ceroli
Cradle 'Annabella', 1973 (design)
H. 90 x 61 x 98 cm. Poltronova, Pistoia. Spruce wood.
Marked: Artist and manufacturer's details (branding).
Santini, Facendo Mobili con Poltronova, Florence 1977, p. 67.
€ 3,800 - 4,200
421
Gabriella Crespi
Console table and side table 'Rising Sun', 1970s
Console: H. 77 x 140 x 40.5 cm; coffee table: H. 46 x 80 x 80.5 cm.
Crespi dlg, Buscate.
Sheet brass, bamboo cane, chipboard.
Marked: Gabriella Crespi (2x), Brev. (1x).
The authentification through the Crespi Archiv and the inclusion in the archives has been set into motion.
€ 18,000 - 22,000
464
Norbert Berghof; Michael Landes; Wolfgang Rang Frankfurt Chair 'F3', 1985 (design)
H. 81 x 61 x 73 cm.
Draenert, Immenstaad, 1989.
Bird's-eye maple, ebonized wood, solid maple, brass, Bahia Blue granite, blue leather. Marked: Manufacturer's paper label, brass plaque, numbered 60/1989.
No. 60 from the year 1989.
Armer/ Bangert, Design der 80er Jahre, Munich 1990, p. 33.
€ 600 - 700
465
Norbert Berghof; Michael Landes; Wolfgang Rang Writing desk 'Frankfurter Hochhausschrank F1', 1985/86 (design)
H. 231 x 75 x 40.5 cm.
Draenert, Immenstaad.
Bird's-eye maple, various types of marble, ebony, briar, burl wood, and white gold leaf. Marked: Brass plaque: DRAENERT, Berghof/ Landes/Rang, F1 No. 74/100/1989, manufacturer's plaque.
Included: Certificate.
Armer/Bangert, Design der 80er Jahre, München 1990, S. 32.
€ 6,000 - 7,000
500
Reinhard Stubenrauch
'Shark' ceiling light, 1990s
H. 60 x 116 x 50 cm.
Reinhard Stubenrauch, Berlin. Brushed stainless steel sheet.
€ 1,800 - 2,500
219
Klaus Uredat
Three modular seating elements 'Corbi', 1969
H. 60 cm (with cushion) x 72 x 98 cm. COR, Rheda-Wiedenbrück.
Wood, foam, light blue cotton velvet.
Marked: COR (manufacturer's mark).
Included: three replacement covers for the round cushions.
In 2024, the seating elements were refurbished directly by the manufacturer as part of the ‘CORever programme’ and reupholstered with fabrics from Zimmer + Rohde.
Zuber & Willenbrock, COR: Home is where the Heart is, Ludwigsburg 2004, p. 32, p. 48 f.
€ 9,000 - 12,000
Table light 'Paramount' from the 'Bau.haus collection', 1970 (design)
H. 79 cm, Ø 56 cm.
Alchimia, Milan, since 1979.
Faience, gold glazed, umbrella with red fabric cover.
Bangert, Italian Furniture Design, Munich 1988, S. 167; Sato, Alchimia, Japan 1985, p. 25.
€ 4,000 - 6,000
UFO
Table light 'MGM' from the 'Bau.haus collection', 1969/70 (design)
H. 52.5 x 98 x 16.5 cm.
Alchimia, Milan, since 1979. Sheet metal, enameled pink.
The group 'UFO' was founded in 1967 by Lapo Binazzi together with Carlo Bachi, Patrizia Cammeo, Riccardo Foresi and Titi Maschietto. From 1979 the pink version has been produced by Alchimia. Ferrari, Light, Turin 2002, No. 160.
€ 4,000 - 6,000
Table light 'Sfera', 1971 (design)
H. 53.5 x 39.5 x 21 cm.
New Lamp, Milan.
Nickel-plated sheet metal, yellow acrylic glass.
€ 5,000 - 6,000
Patrizia Innocenti; Sergio Gobbi
CONTACT AND EXPERTS
MANAGEMENT
Askan Quittenbaum
Managing Director and CEO, Auctioneer
Art Nouveau and Art Deco, Murano Glass, Jewelry +49 89 273702-113 a.quittenbaum@quittenbaum.de
EXPERTS
Faridah Younès M.A.
Head of Department Art Nouveau and Art Deco +49 89 273702-115 f.younes@quittenbaum.de
Nadine Becker M.A. Head of Department Studio and Art Jewelry Tel. 089-273702-118 n.becker@quittenbaum.de
Ava Boll M.A. Modern Design +49 89 273702-116 a.boll@quittenbaum.de
ACCOUNTING
Annette Ehrenhardt Head of Department Accounting +49 89 273702-117 accounting@quittenbaum.de
Dr. Alexia Henkel office@quittenbaum.de
REVERSE SIDE: 360
Sergio Rodrigues
Armchair 'Sheriff', 1961 (design)
€ 3,000 - 3,500
Dr. Claudia Quittenbaum
Deputy CEO
PR, Murano Glass +49 89 273702-111
c.quittenbaum@quittenbaum.de
Arthur Floss Dipl. Betriebswirt FH
Deputy CEO
Head of Department Modern Design +49 89 273702-110
a.floss@quittenbaum.de
Laura Hille M.A.
Head of Department Modern and Contemporary Art Tel. 089-273702-119 l.hille@quittenbaum.de
Dr. Marcus Oertel Head of Rhineland Representative Office Modern Art, Decorative Arts, Asian Art m.oertel@quittenbaum.de
Veit Volwahsen M.A.
Modern and Contemporary Art, Modern Design +49 89 273702-121 v.volwahsen@quittenbaum.de
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Jochen Splett Mirco Taliercio
DESIGN
Daniela Paringer, design & print GbR
