Josef Frank

Bukowskis Auctioneers, Stockholm
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Nina Stritzler-Levine, ed., Josef Frank, Architect and Designer: An Alternate Vision of the Modern Home, exh. cat., New Haven, 1996, p. 71, fig. 4-9
Christopher Long, Josef Frank: Life and Work, Chicago, 2002, p. 235, fig. 218
Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Herman Czech and Sebastian Hackenschmidt, Josef Frank: Against Design, The Architect's Anti-Formalist Oeuvre, exh. cat., Vienna, 2015, p. 310

Overall very good condition consistent with age and use. Gentle fading and minor staining throughout to the paper elements. Minor wear loses to the paper elements to the all corners of the cabinet as visible in the printed and online catalogue. Front panel: minor wrinkling to the paper to the front top proper left corner; a minor loss of the paper element above the door handle measuring approximately 1 x 5 cm, as visible in printed and online catalogues; a scratch to the paper element to the bottom left side proper approximately 3 cm long. Left panel: white stain to the top left side approximately 6 cm in length; a loss to the paper elements to the centre of the panel approximately 4 x 5 cm. Scattered scuff mark scratches concentrated to the base. The top surface with areas with a loss of varnish, the largest 5 cm diameter. A quote to repair the varnish can be provided upon request.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Together with Estrid Ericson and her furnishing company, Svenskt Tenn, Josef Frank developed his highly personal style with elements of Viennese elegance and Swedish functionalism. He wanted to incorporate natural forms and colours into his interiors, so that the inhabitants could breathe freely in the enclosed spaces. He believed that “ornament and complexity create peacefulness and get rid of the disturbing aspect of pure functional form.”
A perfect example of this ideology is the presented Flora cabinet. For this project Frank used hand-coloured botanical paper prints from Carl Lindman’s book Bilder ur Nordens Flora, which he then delicately applied onto the mahogany front of the piece. The contrast between the delicate floral motifs and heavy wooden form instils the cabinet with a light, playful and organic sense. Contrasting materials evoke an echo of the past, but create an indisputably modern piece.