The Collection of Mark Isaacson and Greg Nacozy includes over two-hundred works from one of the most significant figures in mid-century collecting. Mark established the influential Fifty/50 gallery in New York in 1981 (later partnering with Mark McDonald and Ralph Cutler in 1983), which shaped the tastes and collecting habits of many and brought furniture, decorative arts and jewelry from the 1930s, 40s and 50s to the forefront of the market at a time when they were largely overlooked.
Fifty/50’s and Mark’s legacy is most closely associated with bringing Italian art glass to the United States (Mark even advised the MET on their Italian glass collection) and raising the profile of mid-century furniture and American studio jewelry and ceramics; iconic examples of each are represented in this auction, including an early Rudder Stool by Isamu Noguchi, Charlotte Perriand’s and Pierre Jeanneret’s Bahut No. 2, a Gerrit Rietveld Zig-Zag chair, pottery by Edwin and Mary Scheier and Fausto Melotti, and Venini glassworks.
The most exciting aspects of this auction are the more intimate ones—the works from Mark's and Greg's personal collection that speak to Mark's eclectic taste, his boundless curiosity and sensitivity toward objects and art, and how generous he was in sharing his interests with others and letting them share with him. Standouts include several works by Robert Mapplethorpe—who was close friends with Mark, photographed several Fifty/50 catalogs and got many of the ceramics in his photographs from the gallery—the ecstatic wood construction Wild Plant by Leo Amino, a painting by Ralston Crawford of a spectacularly minimalist skyscraper façade, and photographic works by Man Ray, Edward Weston, Lynn Davis and Dorothea Lange.
This auction also features many works that tie together the thread of Mark’s collecting practices, going beyond the downtown New York sensibilities of the 1980s and showing the scope of eras and cultures that interested him; the sgraffito incisions on a 1940s Scheier vase echo the geometric features of a Senufo Kpeliye'e mask, the entrancing and complex shadows of a grain elevator in a photograph by Ralston Crawford contrast with the severe plainness of a New York City step-back building captured by Walker Evans, and the radical gestures of gay image making are seen in the works of George Platt Lynes, Paul Cadmus and Robert Loughlin. One of the artists in this sale, George Dureau, a photographer from New Orleans (where Greg is also from) who greatly influenced Mapplethorpe early in his career, perhaps best captures the spirit of this collection, saying about his own work:
“I live a warm, involved, humanist sort of life. There are lots of people passing through it. I have exciting experiences and learn things about people. They always go into my art. I cannot have an experience and it not go into my art.”
Fifty/50 gallery reshaped the collecting market during its twelve-year existence, closing in 1993 after Mark passed away from AIDS; his partner Greg has cared for the collection since. The Collection of Mark Isaacson and Greg Nacozy offers an opportunity to see a short but impactful life lived through an enthusiasm for art and design, one that inspired many to see and appreciate objects and live with them as fully as Mark did.
Robert Jarvie 1865–1941
Born to Scottish parents in Schenectady, New York in 1865, Robert Riddle Jarvie was not formally trained in metalsmithing, but he had an early penchant for sketching, bookbinding, and cabinetmaking. Once he relocated to Chicago, Jarvie began initial experiments with metalwork around the turn of the 20th century in his apartment. In particular, a distinctive lantern that Jarvie made for a friend attracted more buyers. At the Third Annual Chicago Arts & Crafts Exhibit in 1900, Jarvie had the first opportunity to showcase his work. That same year, he became a partner at Krayle Co., a commercial and social alliance of local artisans and craftsmen, and set up his studio, the Jarvie Shop, in Chicago's Fine Arts Building on Michigan Avenue.
While Jarvie's designs had previously ranged from Colonial to Art Nouveau, he soon developed simpler organic forms that represented a Midwestern take on the Arts & Crafts Movement. Between 1910 and 1915, Jarvie began forging products using precious metals such as gold and silver that garnered wide acclaim. Charles Hutchinson, President of the Art Institute of Chicago, commissioned Jarvie to produce a silver punch bowl for the Cliff Dwellers Club of Chicago, as both men were members; Jarvie modeled his design on an object used by Southwestern cliff dwellers that he had seen at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History.
In 1912, Jarvie started creating functional trophies such as bowls, drinkware, and other forms for the Union Stock Yard Company. Jarvie also lived on the premises. Some of his holloware and flatware designs from this period are reminiscent of Paul Revere's style. Jewelry by Jarvie is extremely rare and only four works are known to exist. After World War I, the Jarvie Shop ceased operations. Jarvie and his wife then moved to Evanston, Illinois, since she was employed at Northwestern University, and Jarvie worked briefly for the C.D. Peacock Company.
The Jarvies later retired to the Scottish Old People's Home in North Riverside, Illinois until their passing. During the Arts & Crafts revival of the late 20th century, collectors developed a renewed appreciation for the metalwork of Jarvie. Today examples by Jarvie are included in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and elsewhere.
Upcoming Lots Robert Jarvie
Auction Results Robert Jarvie
