Press Contact:	Jane Prentiss, Director	Catherine Riedel, Director
	20th Century Furniture &	Marketing & Public Relations
	Decorative Arts	Skinner, Inc
	978-779-6241	978-779-6241

SKINNER TO OFFER 20TH CENTURY
FURNITURE & DECORATIVE ARTS IN BOSTON

Featuring a Bauhaus Collection and Phase II of the Seagram Collection

BOSTON, Mass. - November 28, 2004 – www.skinnerinc.com - Skinner, one of the nation's leading auction houses, will host an auction of 20th century furniture and decorative arts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 11, 2004, in Boston. The nearly 600 lots in the sale will feature a Bauhaus collection, Part II of the Seagram Collection, and an international array of furniture, pottery, lighting, silver, art glass, paintings and prints. Selections will include examples from the Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts, and Art Deco Movements, as well as mid-twentieth century Modern offerings.

Art Nouveau & Arts and Crafts
The auction will begin with decorative arts from the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts Movement. Art Nouveau art glass offerings in this portion of the sale include a lovely Tiffany Poinsettia lamp (lot 20, $22/28,000), and a collection of English cameo glass by Webb (lots 2-5, estimates from $2,000 to $5,000). Jugendstil-Art Nouveau objects also will be presented, highlighted by a collection of Rozenburg pottery from the Netherlands that survived the Great Wars. This highly decorated pottery is extremely difficult to obtain. Examples in the auction include a charger c. 1900 decorated with a rooster (lot 190, $2,5/3,500), and two decorated porcelain vases (lots 188 and 189, $2,2/2,800 each). Other European offerings include a diverse selection of Jugendstil/Darmstadt objects, highlighted by a tall case clock in the manner of Richard Riemerschmid (lot 218, $6/8,000), an oak chair by Riemerschmid (lot 217, $2/3,000), six pairs of cocktail knives and forks by Peter Behrens (lot 206, $2/3,000), and a color woodblock print, The Kiss, by Behrens (lot 207, $1,5/2,000). A group of Wiener Werkstatte objects also will be featured.

Decorative arts from the Arts and Crafts Movement are led by a rare large Grueby Pottery architectural jardinière made c. 1900 in Boston, Massachusetts (lot 79, $12/18,000) and a Grueby decorated pottery vase by Wilhelmina Post (lot 78, $6/8,000). Highlighting Arts and Crafts furniture is a bedroom suite by Rorheimer-Brooks, hand-carved in Cleveland Ohio in 1910. This complete suite comes to auction from the family of the purchaser (lot 91, $3,5/4,000).

Bauhaus
This sale features a collection of works designed by the students and professors of the Bauhaus in Germany during the 1920s. Highlights include a large selection of lighting by Christian Dell including a floor lamp (lot 231, $1/1,500), and an extensive selection of furniture by Marcel Breuer, exemplified by a B-35 lounge chair, 1930 (lot 230, $3/4,000), a B-10 table, c. 1927 (lot 233, $2/3,000), and a lot of two B-34 armchairs, c. 1930 (lot 232, $2/3,000), all made by Thonet in Frankenburg, Germany. Other works include metalwork by Marianne Brandt and several lots of glass creations by Wilhelm Wagenfeld. Excellent reference material is available for auction, as well, including photographs and catalogues from the Bauhaus.

Art Deco
For those in search of French Art Deco pottery and glass, the auction offers works such as an art pottery vase and a Diane art glass vase by Cazoux (lots 336 and 337, $2,5/3,500 and $1,5/2,500 respectively), which are excellent examples of the change in decorative style by 1930. Other selections include an art pottery vase by Émile Decoeur (lot 320, $2/3,000), as well as art pottery examples by Jean Besnard, Émile Lenoble, and Émile Balon, among others. A charming art pottery vase by Boch Frères (lot 334, $6/800) is the cover lot for the sale catalogue. Distinctive offerings also include a Murano glass pedestal by Pino Signoretto (lot 338, $4/6,000), a Butterfly Girl by Lorenzl for Goldscheider (lot 340, $2,5/3,500), and a cast bronze and glass wall light fixture (lot 341, $1,2/1,500), as well as lighting by Norman Bel Geddes.

The Seagram Collection
Skinner is pleased to present Phase II of the Seagram Collection of furniture. Housed in the Park Avenue building Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed in collaboration with Phillip Johnson in 1957, this extensive collection was located on the eight floors that Seagram Company occupied for 45 years. Phase II of the Seagram collection brings to the block significant furniture designs by Mies van der Rohe, manufactured by Knoll. Included are a pair of Barcelona Chairs in red leather (lot 366, $2,4/2,800), a large selection of BRNO chairs, lounge chairs by Charles and Ray Eames, and a variety of other chairs, sofas, and tables.

Mid-Century Modern
By the middle of the twentieth century, Scandinavians were bringing ergonomic designs to the United States, and Skinner brings fine examples of these designs to this auction. New, lighter woods were used in furniture, as can be seen in Jorgen Hovelskov's Harp Chair (lot 450, $2/2,500). Additional Scandinavian designs include a Hans Wegner Peacock chair (lot 484, $1,8/2,200), a teak vitrine by Jens Risom, c. 1955 (lot 480, $1/1,500), and two Bent Silberg rosewood desks (lots 475 and 476, $8/1,200 and $1/1,500 respectively). Also featured are excellent examples of Dunbar Furniture of Berne, Indiana from the middle of the twentieth century. The sale offers the contents of a Massachusetts home furnished in Dunbar designed by Edward Wormley. Highlights include a lot of two lounge chairs and a Long John walnut coffee table (lots 494 and 495, $8/1,200 each).

Additional Highlights
The sale is rounded out by affordable artwork and objects that will make wonderful holiday gifts. Skinner urges visitors to the auction to see the Art Deco exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, running through January 9, 2005, and to visit Gropius House in Lincoln, Massachusetts. This house was built by Walter Gropius for himself and his family in 1938, and is currently under the stewardship of Historic New England. Gropius directed the Bauhaus in Germany in the 1920s; for students or collectors of the Bauhaus, this is a must see.

Special Event
In conjunction with its preview on Friday, December 10th, Skinner will host a book signing and lecture, Collecting Art Deco: 1909-1939, by Art Deco specialist and collector, Tony Fusco. Mr. Fusco is founder and president of the Art Deco Society of Boston, and the author of four books on collecting Art Deco and vintage posters. He will sign copies of his most recent book Instant Expert: Collecting Art Deco (House of Collectibles/Random House, 2004) beginning at 5 p.m., and will present his lecture at 6:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend. Please R.S.V.P. to 617-350-5400.

Website, Catalogue, and Preview Information
Previews for the auction will be 12 to 5 p.m. Thursday, December 9th, 12 to 7 p.m., Friday, December 10th, and 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, December 11th. Illustrated catalogue #2257 is available by mail for $32 ($39 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 978-779-6241 x240. It is sold at the gallery for $29. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. For more information, visit www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner's site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, and order catalogues online.

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Note to Editors: Photos available upon request. Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.

About Skinner:With galleries in Boston and Bolton, Mass., Skinner is a full-service auctioneer and appraiser of antiques and fine art. Regularly seen on the PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, Skinner is one of the nation’s leading auction houses. Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction. Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographica, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.