The Mithra Neuman Collection
Truly great collectors are a very rare breed. I was fortunate enough to come into contact with one when I was introduced to Mithra Neuman in 1995. Immediately, I was struck by his commitment and dedication to seeking out the highest quality example of each item for his collection, which to my great excitement was to now include important 20th century furniture design, and in particular the work of Charles and Ray Eames. Condition and absolute originality were, and remain, prime concerns to Mithra. But so too is the historic academic placing of objects. For example, much of the furniture by the Eameses was produced in large numbers over many years. The examples of major interest to him, therefore, were those closest to their actual dates of design. With these parameters in place it is safe to say that together, over a ten-year period, we formed the largest and most important collection of Eames furniture in private hands.
Many objects in the collection included exceptionally rare pre-production prototypes, such as the three-legged CTM and the three-legged tray table, or unique pieces, such as the 16-panel FSW and composite table for IBM — all of which are offered for sale here. But while the collection continues to evolve, the practicalities of appropriate available space remains a determinate factor in whether or not to deaccession objects. And in the case of the Neuman collection, all objects have always been sited and used within the context of functioning domestic interiors. Lack of space now demands an editing of the collection, but with the help of Wright, we are pleased to make available once again to all discerning collectors, both public and private, some supreme examples of some of the most important and innovative furniture ever created. —Peter Fiell
Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen
chair from the Museum of Modern Art Organic Design Competition
Haskelite Corporation/Heywood-Wakefield
USA, 1940
Honduran mahogany, upholstery
18 w x 22 d x 32.5 h inches
Signed with applied manufacturer’s label to underside: [Fine Furniture Heywood Wakefield Est. 1826].
Estimate: $15,000–20,000
Result: $50,400
Literature: Organic Design in Home Furnishings, Noyes, ppg. 15, 29 illustrates this example
Exhibited: Organic Design in Home Furnishings, September 1941, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Provenance: Sylvia Schoenbaum, Bloomingdale’s Inc., New York | Gift to Ben Sanford, A.S.I.D., 1945 | Private collection, Canada | Neuman Trust Collection
Among the most important furniture designs of the 20th century, Eames’ and Saarinen’s prize-winning entry for seating in the famous Organic Design in Home Furnishings competition held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1941 was comprised of various armchairs, a sectional sofa and the present side chair. With their single-piece compound-moulded plywood seat shells, the chair designs were exceptionally innovative and signalled a totally new direction in modern furniture.
While upholstery appears to be very old, there may have been upholstery on the rear of the seat at one point, indicated by small holes along the edge. Minor water staining to tips of each foot. Stable split to back of front right leg. Small chip to underside of seat from manufacture. Soiling to seat.
