Russel Wright

Comprising:
(1) Tiered flower vase
(1) Small ball vase
(1) Small covered pot
(1) Large relish rosette
(1) Medium relish rosette
(2) Round trays with walnut center
(1) Round tray with rolled edge
(1) Server with glass inserts
(1) Beer tray
(1) Cork ball canapé tray
(1) Wood ball canapé tray
(1) Tray with rolled edge and wooden ball handles
(1) Tray with bakelite center
(1) Round tray with wide border and wood center
(1) Shallow bowl with rattan handles
(1) Beverage cooler
(4) Beer mugs with rattan handles
(5) Beakers
(1) Mug
(12) Tall glasses 
(1) Fruit basket
(3) Domes
(1) Two-piece server
(1) Ice bucket
(1) Tall pitcher
(1) Lemonade pitcher
(1) "Frankie and Johnny" beer pitcher
(1) Bun warmer with bakelite handles
(1) Bun warmer with swiveling top and net insert
(2) Ladles
(1) Covered frying pan
(1) Pretzel bowl
(2) Two-tiered tidbit trays
(1) Large ball vase
(1) Saucepan
(1) Small bowl with rattan handles
(1) Beer pitcher
(7) Monkey dishes (six small, one medium size)
(1) Bowl with rattan handle
(1) Punch set including bowl, four cups and ladle
(1) Cocktail set including tray, cocktail shaker and six cups
(1) Covered bean pot
(1) Covered round server
(1) Covered stock pot
(1) Flare vase
(1) Beaker
(1) Cylindrical pitcher with vertical dowel handle
(1) Sherry pitcher
(1) Compote with inset rattan handle
(1) Set of "Acorn" salt and pepper shaker set in original box

Acquired by the present owners one piece at a time, 1985-2001, including Sotheby's New York, The Andy Warhol Collection, April 25, 1988, lot 1072 (for the bun warmer)

Russel Wright:  Creating American Lifestyle, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, November 20, 2001-September 15, 2002
Russel Wright:  Living with Good Design, Arts Midwest, May 2006-April 2008
Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, Lancaster, OH
Columbus Museum of Art and Design, Columbus, IN
Newcomb Gallery, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA
Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, WA
The Goldstein Museum of Design at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

William J. Hennessey, Russel Wright:  American Designer, Cambridge, MA, 1985, pp. 20 and 22-23
Sheldon and Martha Cheney, Art and the Machine Age, New York, 1936, reprinted 1992, p. 59
Sarah Nichols, Aluminum by Design, New York, 2000, pp. 135 (for the bun warmer and tidbit tray), 227 (for the lemonade pitcher)
Ann Kerr, Collector's Encyclopedia of Russel Wright, Paducah, KY, pp. 35-67 (for a chapter on Russel Wright's designs in aluminum)

This lot comprises over one hundred pieces, which have experienced varying degrees of use. Overall, the pieces are in very good original condition. The aluminum has occasional indentations, surface scratches, water staining, surface dirt and areas of dullness. Some of the bamboo elements with slight warping consistent with age and use. The rattan wrapping used on several pieces has detached in some areas and also shows wear, dryness and light discoloration in places. The wood elements (balls, handles, lids and tray surfaces) generally with slight wear and surface scratches. The majority of wood elements are without stain, a few have rubbing and losses to varnish. The cork elements are in good condition with slight dryness and very minor discoloration consistent with age. The round tray with the inset bakelite plate (covered with a round tray in the catalogue illustration) is signed 'Russel Wright' to the reverse. The faux wood grain patterning of the bakelite has mostly worn away, the top now presents as a lighter brown color with concentric circles of wear, fading and scratches consistent with age and use. The underside also with scratches, abrasions and wear. The bakelite handles on the two-handled bun warmer and one dome with surface scratches. The handle of the dome with some speckled losses to the top layer of the finish. Please note that both bun warmers retain their original wire net inserts. The bamboo frame handles of one tidbit tray have warped, causing the tray to lean slightly. A portion of the rattan collar of the sherry pitcher that attaches its handle has loosened. One mug with a partially detached rattan handle. As visible in the catalogue illustration, the ring-handled pitcher is of a slightly different color than the rest of the aluminum. It presents with a slightly yellow tone that is most likely a result of cleaning or environmental effects. The four "Acorn" salt and pepper shakers retain their original box with cardboard insert impressed with an alligator pattern. The shakers appear never to have been used.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

I would like to be able to say that Sotheby's landmark sales of the estate of Andy Warhol introduced my wife and me to the work of Russel Wright. That isn't quite true, although we came to share Andy's enthusiasm for the designer's work. By the time the fevered previews began in April of 1988, we had already acquired a few pieces of spun aluminum from Wright's 1930's line of Informal Serving Accessories, including a pitcher with a dramatic flared rim and a clever ring and ball handle, and a two tiered "tidbit tray" with crossed bamboo handles wrapped at their intersection with rattan. As objects of design, they were irresistible. They seemed to have a lightness about them that went beyond the physical qualities of the material. They seemed good natured and undemanding. Clearly, they were meant to be used by people like my wife and me in settings like our typical small Manhattan apartment. In a design world that doted on Tiffany, Ruhlmann and Faberge, we felt that we had stumbled upon objects that spoke to us and that, not insignificantly, suited our constrained budget. Wright and his wife, the merchandising genius Mary Small Einstein, understood that modern sociability makes no class distinctions. Thirty six years after the designer's death in 1976, his most consistent mantra, "Good Design Is For Everyone," is still having its positive effects on young couples setting up housekeeping in this intimidating city.

After the Warhol sale, we quickly became aware of the extensive variety, the wit, the simple beauty of Russel's spun aluminum and our collecting instincts took over. Now, at the other end of our career as collectors, it is time to pass these things to another generation. The result is the group of objects on offer here, which includes Andy's Russel Wright bun warmer, the only thing in his auctions we could afford. We hope that this present sale will place our collection with a new owner who shares our enthusiasm for these marvelous creations by America's most successful designer of objects for the home.

Robert Schonfeld
May 2012