Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan

comprising grill, kick plate, two side columns, frieze panel, T-plate and two balustrade panels

Harold M. Mayer and Richard C. Wade, Chicago:  Growth of a Metropolis, Chicago, 1969, pp. 130-131
David Lowe, Lost Chicago, Boston, 1975, p. 140
John Vinci, The Art Institute of Chicago:  The Stock Exchange Trading Room, Chicago, 1977, pp. 22-23 
Brian A. Spencer, ed., The Prairie School Tradition:  The Prairie Archives of the Milwaukee Art Center, New York, 1979, p. 32
Louis H. Sullivan: Architectural Ornament Collection, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, exh. cat., Edwardsville, IL, 1981, fig. 37
Sarah C. Mollman, ed., Louis Sullivan in the Art Institute of Chicago:  The Illustrated Catalogue of Collections, New York, 1989, cat. no. 163
Pauline A. Saliga and Robert Bruegmann, Fragments of Chicago's Past:  The Collection of Architectural Fragments at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 1990, p. 139.
Donald C. Peirce, Art & Enterprise:  American Decorative Art, 1825-1917, The Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection, Atlanta, 1999, p. 376
David Van Zanten, Sullivan's City:  The Meaning of Ornament for Louis Sullivan, New York, 2000, p. 61
John Szarkowski, The Idea of Louis Sullivan, Boston, 2000, p. 95

Overall in very good condition. This offering is six distinct individual elements; grill, kick plate, t-plate, side columns, frieze panel and two balustrade panels. All elements display light surface scratches, minor rubgins and abrasions, and some dirt to recessed areas of the design, all consistent with age and gentle use. Each of the elements retains the original mounting holes for installation in the Stock Exchange, as seen in the catalogue illustration. The copper plated elements with a later clear finish applied at some point in the piece’s history to further enhance and maintain the copper patina. Two areas of deeper scratches to the proper left side of the ‘T’ plate, measuring approximately 2 inches in length. The two side balustrade panels flanking the grill in the catalogue illustration were originally part of the central staircase of the Exchange. The central grill has been re-lacquered and presents with some minor and scattered losses to this later finish. Some of the vertical elements display a slight bend, visible in the catalogue illustration Several pods likely have been re-attached. There are two areas of minor losses to the seeds and fasteners to the grill; two are missing from the second row to the proper left side, and another immediately below the the proper right side of the T-plate, all visible in the catalogue illustration. These losses are minor and do not impact the overall visual presence of this work. For the purposes of installation in the their home, the Warshawsky family added spacers behind the elements, which mount the work approximately three inches away from the wall. These spacers will be sold with the work, but the work can be installed without. Please contact the department for further details and photographs. This work is sold with later mounting hardware. These panels show the depth and complexity of the aesthetic introduced by Sullivan uniquely for the Chicago Stock Exchange and presents a rare opportunity to acquire a large arrangement of elements from this architectural icon.
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.

Louis Sullivan has been called the "father of modern architecture" and his edict that "form ever follows function" was the rallying cry at a time when the advent of modern, cheaper steel was pushing urban buildings skyward.  The Chicago Stock Exchange arose during a boom time for the firm of Adler & Sullivan and encapsulates Sullivan's concepts regarding a light and modern functional space.  However, it also reflects an adherence to ornament that would separate him from the following generation that would take his revolutionary concepts and strip them of adornment to create a truly International Style.  In his article “Architecture and Ornament,” Sullivan wrote that architectural ornament should be organic, deriving its form from nature.  Upon first inspection, the geometric nature of the elevator grilles appears as atoms in a futuristic assemblage.  To Sullivan they represented stylized seed germs and are part of the total foliate decorative scheme found in every aspect of the structure.  The combination of black interlocking circles and the ornamented copper-plated frame create a dense pattern, between geometric precision and organic effusion.

This design was used for the elevator grilles from floors three to thirteen of the building.  The Stock Exchange was modernized in the 1960s and subsequently demolished in 1972.  The various elements were discarded and are now rare to appear at auction.  An assemblage from the Stock Exchange is in the permanent collection of The Art Institute of Chicago, and another ensemble was sold at Sotheby's New York, December 18, 2008 (lot 105) and is now in the collection of the Seattle Art Museum.