CoBrA, Kvium and Quality Design

Pure coincidence can sometimes recreate connections that were severed a long time ago. At this auction, a number of works by Asger Jorn, derived from several different consignors, indirectly revolve around one particular event. 

Jorn and the big relief

In 1953 the architects Kjær and Richter won the competition for the construction of The State Upper Secondary School in Aarhus. It was decided that the building should be crowned with a major decoration by a renowned artist. At this point, Asger Jorn was recovering from the life-threatening tuberculosis that had put him out of action for more than a year. While recovering, Jorn visited several potters in and around the city of Silkeborg. Soon he was busy decorating pottery at Knud Jensen in Sorring. Jorn evinced great talents for working in clay, and in the end this was what convinced The Danish Arts Foundation that Jorn was the right choice for the immense task of forming the 10 x 90 feet relief. Concurrently with his adventure in ceramics, Jorn was also busy writing the book Luck and Chance. Money was tight, and there was not enough covers for the projected 99 copies of the book. The young bookbinder Karl Andersen was therefore sent to tell Jorn to make an additional number of covers in "sticky marble". Andersen instructed Jorn in the technique, and the experimental artist soon got the hang of it. One of the works turned out so well that Jorn presented it to Andersen as a gift. This was the beginning of a long friendship and, in time, Andersen acquired several Jorn works, offered for sale at this auction.

One of Jorn's close collaborators at this point in time was ceramicist Erik Nyholm. Nyholm has remained relatively obscure, but he was an important part of the creative environment around Jorn and CoBrA in this period and he contributed actively to the mounting of the big relief. The auction includes fine works by Nyholm from the estates of Andersen and Richter. 

In 1958 the necessary funding for the big relief was finally secured. In his memoir of Jorn, Richter describes the difficult early stages of the work and the edges that had to be smoothed out between architect and artist before the work could be brought into being. In the same book both Karl Andersen and Erik Nyholm tells of their relations to and experiences with Asger Jorn. 1953 is the year of the figural composition from the Richter estate as well as the two sticky marble pictures from the estate of Karl Andersen. 

Kvium and China

In 1953 Michael Kvium had not yet been born, but he has since made a name for himself as one of the most important contemporary artists, internationally: Most recently, Kvium has created quite a stir with a number of major exhibitions in China that have led to a significant jump ahead on Artnet's list of the most coveted artists worldwide right now. "Lifeanddeathorgoodfornothing" and the characteristic works from the successor series derive from the early 1990s. Whether the Chinese have truly discovered Kvium, only time can tell. One artist who is already the object of much attention in a China characterised by ever growing prosperity is the expatriate Chinese Walasse Ting. Having remained at a steady price level for a number of years, Ting is now in very high demand among the newly rich inhabitants in this big Oriental country. Indeed, "Can You Catch a Butterfly for Me?" is the lot with the highest estimate in the modern section of the auction.  

Master joiner furniture in a class of its own

This time, the design section features a number of furniture items by the master joiner Helge Vestergaard Jensen – a furniture designer whose name is not as iconic, perhaps, as Jacobsen, Juhl or Wegner, but whose work is held in great esteem internationally. The furniture derives from the estate of Vestergaard Jensen himself and includes the sculptural "Racket Chair" and an almost floating daybed based on the same construction principles with nylon strings that serve as a virtually invisible bed for the body. From the same estate, the auction presents a most sophisticated writing desk in teak, a rare loom in paduk etc. 

Yet again, eggs and swans by Jacobsen are joined by Kjærholm's timeless elegance and Fabricius and Kastholm's sophisticated "Sculpture Chair". In addition, the auction includes a couple of fine sofas by Finn Juhl and some of the highly coveted "NV-45" chairs that are considered to rank among the finest and most characteristic ever produced by Finn Juhl.

King size PH

This time, PH enthusiasts can look forward to a parade of fine lamps: from the cherished 4/4 pendants to the extremely rare 8/8 giant pendant with a "wing span" of more than 30 inches. These pendants are accompanied by striking bombardment chandeliers and table and floor lamps.

Léger and Franciska Clausen

One of the most exiting lots of this auction consists of a number of postcards from a Fernand Léger to the Danish artist Franciska Clausen. In the 1920s, Clausen moved to Paris where she was accepted at Léger's painting school. She was so exceptionally talented that the master had her create a number of works that he subsequently signed himself. In time, this beautiful Danish artist and the lionized French master became lovers. The postcards from Léger to Franciska Clausen document the romance between them and include three collages made by Léger himself with personal remarks to Clausen.

Furthermore, we are pleased to be able to present several fine works by, among others, Arne Haugen-Sørensen, Børge Jørgensen, Henry Heerup, Lise Malinovsky and Jens Søndergaard.

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