Peter Loughrey does pop-up blog for L.A. Modern’s Dec. 11 sale
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How did Philip Johnson solve the problem of lighting his glass house in New Canaan, Conn., which didn’t have any plain or non-reflective exterior walls? With the help of lighting consultant Richard Kelly, he created a standing floor lamp capped by a painted white brass shade that would reflect light back down to the floor. This is one of the design tidbits you can learn from Peter Loughrey’s new weeklong blog.
Anyone who writes about design knows that Loughrey, who runs Los Angeles Modern Auctions with his wife, Shannon, is a go-to person for inside information about 20th century objects and furniture. (The couple was also a big help behind the scenes in assembling ‘California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way’ at LACMA, down to loaning works like a Craig Ellwood stereo cabinet and a steel Eames planter to substitute for one that had been deemed too fragile to move from the Eames house.)
This week Loughrey speaks directly to design fans with entries pegged to his upcoming Dec. 11 auction, covering objects for sale like the 1953 Johnson Lamp (estimated at $25,000 to $30,000) and Raymond Loewy’s 1963 Studebaker Avanti R2 (above; estimated at $60,000 to $80,000), notable for having a body made of fiberglass.
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-- Jori Finkel