It’s A Mod, Mod World

Peter Loughrey figured the bidding last May for the ‘40s molded plywood armchair by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen (pictured right) would go to $75,000--maybe. “When it got to $100,000,” recalls the owner of Los Angeles Modern Auctions, “the auctioneer had to stop because it got so noisy. And when he brought the gavel down, the room just exploded.” An anonymous buyer had anted up $129,000, a record for furnishings from the period. Loughrey says his twice-a-year events draw more collectors from the East Coast, Europe and Asia than from L.A. “So much [mid-century modern design] happened here in Los Angeles, and perhaps Angelenos take that for granted,” he says. Here is a preview of big-ticket pieces going on the block Oct. 24.

Los Angeles Modern Auctions, 8057 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 904-1950.

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Tapestry by Alexander Calder, 1968.

Produced in a limited edition of 50, the 6-by-8-foot jute tapestry is a rare wall-mounted example of the artist’s work. Guesstimate: $5,000 to $6,000.

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Aluminum lounge chair by Warren McArthur, 1932.

A prime example of the designer’s work from the private collection of a San Francisco couple. Guesstimate: $7,000 to $9,000.Large walnut coffee table originally sold for several thousand dollars. Guesstimate: $8,000 to $9,000.

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One of four made out of quarter-sawn oak for a Boston homeowner. The other three reside at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Guesstimate: $5,000 to $7,000.

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Mesa table by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, 1950.

Large walnut coffee table originally sold for several thousand dollars. Guesstimate: $8,000 to $9,000.

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Custom-made bookshelf by Jean Prouve and Charlotte Perriand, 1955.:

Modeled after those originally produced for Paris university dorm rooms, the wood, metal and fiberglass design spawned about 50 custom spinoffs. Guesstimate: $20,000 to $30,000.