Carl Auböck heads up a bountiful auction of 20th century design and art

A plethora of pieces by Austrian modernist titan Carl Auböck
A plethora of pieces by Austrian modernist titan Carl Auböck is being auctioned at Piasa in Paris tomorrow
(Image credit: press)

‘Art + Design from a private Belgian collection’ is the rather perfunctory name for a heavyweight auction being held by Parisian house Piasa this Wednesday. The extensive collection includes lots from a variety of 20th century design scene heavyweights, including homeware and furniture from the likes of Carl Auböck, Hans J Wegner, Finn Juhl, Pierre Chapo, Zaha Hadid, Fontana Arte, Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier (as well as a smattering of photography, artworks and textiles by Francesca Woodman, Andy Warhol, John Baldessari and Märta Måås-Fjetterström, among others)

The selection is, to put it lightly, broad; but a large percentage of the offering comes from Carl Auböck. Auböck – who was born in 1900 in Vienna and died in the city in 1957 – was a titan of Austrian modernism. A student of Johannes Itten at the Bauhaus, he took over his father Karl Heinrich's workshop after his death in 1925, producing a host of designs inspired by his time at the influential German design school.

Set of three baskets

Set of three baskets, 1950

(Image credit: press)

His work – and thus, the auction catalogue – is marked by a predilection for warm wooden, brass and gold tones; his office and kitchen objects imbued with a surreal, playful nature (with occasional, subtle anthropomorphic flourishes, as seen in the dual bottle holders of lot 237). It's charming, faintly whimsical stuff – varied in scope (from bookends to opera spectacles, wine stoppers to lamps, knife sets to louche little sculptures) but all undeniably Auböck.

Estimated prices across the 462 lots span from the low hundreds, to the tens of thousands of Euros in the case of Warhol's 1968 Campbell's soup image. For the midcentury minded – the auction is also running in parallel with another sale of Scandinavian design for those really looking to empty their wallets – there's something for (almost) everyone.

Image of 1950s bookends

A pair of 1950s bookends

(Image credit: press)

Image of Glasses, ice bucket, wine stopper and corkscrew, and coasters

Glasses, ice bucket, wine stopper and corkscrew, and coasters, all created in the 1950s

(Image credit: press)

Left, safety pin, paper clip, glasses, and clipboard and right, Modele 4060

Left, safety pin, paper clip, glasses, and clipboard. Right, Modèle 4060, 1951

(Image credit: press)

INFORMATION

The ‘Art + Design from a private Belgian collection’ auction will take place on 22 February at 7pm. For more information, visit the Piasa website

ADDRESS

Piasa
118 rue du Faubourg Saint-honoré
75008 Paris

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Tom Howells is a London-based food journalist and editor. He’s written for Vogue, Waitrose Food, the Financial Times, The Fence, World of Interiors, Time Out and The Guardian, among others. His new book, An Opinionated Guide to London Wine, will be published by Hoxton Mini Press later this year.

Read more
CC-Tapis India Mahdavi
'A shifting and rolling salon' Matter and Shape is back for its second edition in Paris.
TEFAF White glove moment
TEFAF Maastricht 2025 is a brush with wonderfully niche art, design and antiquities
Judy Kensley McKie 'Leopard Couch', 1983
‘It feels almost alive’: This rare Judy Kensley McKie ‘Leopard Couch’ could be yours
vases PAD Paris
At PAD Paris, Omar Chakil’s new alabaster works for Galerie Gastou fuses Egyptian heritage and contemporary design
Colourful ceramic vessels on plinths, and artworks on walls, in Mutina ceramics exhibition
Ceramics brand Mutina stages a poetic tribute to everyday objects
Rubelli paris design week
Our highlights from Paris Design Week 2025
Latest in Design Events
Design Space LA art fair
Basic.Space launches its first IRL shopping event – in an empty West Hollywood mall
Serre Pasino
What to see at Milan Design Week 2025
TEFAF White glove moment
TEFAF Maastricht 2025 is a brush with wonderfully niche art, design and antiquities
design biennale rotterdam
Inside the Design Biennale Rotterdam 2025: how the Dutch underdog became a design capital
Lisson Gallery India Art Fair
Highlights from the India Art Fair
Clock at Stockholm Design Week
A postcard from Stockholm Design Week 2025
Latest in News
Design Space LA art fair
Basic.Space launches its first IRL shopping event – in an empty West Hollywood mall
the lavery london restaurant review
At The Lavery, Anglo-Italian cooking caters to London’s design obsessive
perfume bottle archive Cristalleries de Nancy
This perfume bottle archive was nearly lost. Now, it offers a rare whiff of fragrance history
AMR-C01-R from Curv Racing Simulators
Curv teams up with a British sports car brand to create the ultimate luxury racing simulator
The fifth generation Toyota Prius
Why the Toyota Prius is the stealthiest and most discreet automotive choice you can make
frida kahlo
A major Frida Kahlo exhibition is coming to the Tate Modern next year