At £11.7 Million, Phillips Achieves the Highest Total for a Design Auction in Company History

Jean Dunand’s Smoking Room ‘Les Palmiers’ Sells for £3.3 Million, a World Record for the Artist

Works by Jean Royère from Oscar Majdalani’s Family Collection Realise £2.3 Million

New Auction Records set for Ron Arad, Jean Dunand, Carlo Scarpa, Katsu Hamanaka, Among Others

London, 30 June 2021

Sale Total: £11,742,430 / $16,242,129 / €13,658,795

Lots Sold: 149 | Lots Offered: 170

Sold by Lot: 88% | Sold by Value: 98%

Domenico Raimondo, Head of Design, Europe and Senior International Specialist, said, “At £11.7 million, this result marks the highest total for a Design auction in Phillips’ history. It is a testament to the strength of the London market and hard work and commitment of the Design team. We were immensely proud to have been entrusted with the sale of Jean Dunand’s unrivalled masterpiece ‘Les Palmiers’ and are grateful to our clients who recognised its importance and committed themselves to it, which ultimately led to a world record result for this master of French Art Deco. The opportunity to reunite the original daybed designed by Katsu Hamanaka with ‘Les Palmiers’ was professionally rewarding for us but equally it allowed the work to be contextualised in such a way that attracted an exceptional level of interest from collectors. We continue to lead the market for Italian Design, with the Pair of vitrines achieving a world record for Carlo Scarpa, and other strong results across the field including Gio Ponti’s Unique pair of armchairs. We purposefully look at the design world with a critical eye to redefine the market by bringing new names to the fore and broadening our horizons by looking at present and past historical context.”

Elie Massaoutis, Head of Design, France and Senior International Specialist, said, “We were honoured to have been entrusted by the Majdalani family with the works designed by Jean Royère for their Beirut residence. The collection had remained untouched and unseen in the Majdalani family home since its execution, and it was a privilege to unveil it in London. These remarkable works were crowned by the Pair of armchairs and Rare sofa, marking the first time both models have ever appeared at auction. As pieces continued to soar above their high estimates, the group over tripled the low estimate, selling for a total of £2.3 million.”