The Scout: Rare Roy McMakin cabinet at Los Angeles Modern Auctions

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As a member of the 1980s L.A. art scene that counted David Hockney and Ed Ruscha in its ranks, Roy McMakin pursued a singular vision -- creating functional sculpture based on home furnishings, decorated with a painterly touch. Long before his studio Domestic Furniture produced office furniture for the Getty Museum and pieces for the set of ‘The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,’ McMakin built this one-of-a-kind handmade cabinet, a witty take on traditional Shaker style.

Made from Douglas fir and pine and painted with an illustration of a modernist bedroom, this early cabinet bears an inscription on its top that reads ‘Craig asked where it was, I said I had put it away because I was sick of looking at it’.

‘A piece like this rarely comes up for sale,’ says Peter Loughrey of Los Angeles Modern Auctions, explaining why it is expected to fetch between $8,000 and $12,000 on June 7.

Previews begin today and run through June 6, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the auction begins at noon on June 7. 16145 Hart St., Van Nuys. (323) 904 1950. www.lamodern.com.

-- David A. Keeps

Photo: Los Angeles Modern Auctions