The historic Helen Mar Apartment Hotel at 2421 Lake Pancoast Drive was designed by Robert E. Collins in 1936. Situated on Lake Pancoast in Miami Beach, the Art Deco building housed eighty-six apartments overlooking the lush, Helen-Mar Gardens and boasted “luxurious living” with “complete hotel service”. The following decades brought major changes to the area, and the once splendid building fell into neglect and disrepair. In 1987, following a resurgence of interest in local preservation, the building was purchased by Broadway producer and Miami native, Michael Harvey. Using a combination of his own funds and grants from the city, Harvey began a complete restoration of the building, stripping decades of paint and remedying bad repairs, rousing the Helen Mar back to her brilliant glory.
It is fitting that Mark McDonald—champion of all things vintage and beautiful—would choose the Helen Mar as his Miami home. Outfitted in an array of Mid-century and Art Deco designs, the stylish apartment featured thoughtfully preserved molding and finishes, meticulous tilework and cabinetry, all brought to life by a flood of South-Florida sunlight. Graphic works by Cuban and South American artists adorned the walls and inviting furniture designs by Modern masters like Charles and Ray Eames, Edward Wormley and Alvar Aalto furnished each room. True to his curating roots, McDonald effortlessly incorporated early Art Deco works by the likes of Jules Buoy, Walter Dorwin Teague and Warren McArthur into the brilliant interior, crafting a glamourous and exciting space, reflective of the Magic City itself.
Mark McDonald has always been at the epicenter of the world that is mid-century design, to a large extent, it is a world he created. For over forty years, Mark has pioneered whole fields of collecting, providing the scholarship and creating the market for mid-century furniture, studio jewelry, ceramics and Italian glass.
In 1983, Mark opened Fifty/50 with partners Mark Isaacson and Ralph Cutler. This groundbreaking gallery defined collectors’ taste. At the time, modern works were still largely overlooked; Mark and his partners collected and presented the rarest and most interesting pieces, often working with the makers themselves, to create compelling exhibitions accompanied by catalogs documenting the work.
In the 1990s, Mark opened Gansevoort Gallery, where he continued to curate collections and exhibitions of lasting impact. Over the years, he established relationships with artists and their estates becoming the go to authority on the designs of Art Smith, Ilonka Karasz and Leza McVey, among others. His enthusiasm for the material extended beyond the gallery floor to the back room where lucky visitors got to flip through Mark’s impressive design reference library and discuss the importance of works with him.
A connoisseur and wealth of knowledge, Mark became a resource for prominent collections across the globe—private and public alike. He inspired a generation of collectors and dealers introducing designers and their production to an audience that continues to grow. In 2002, Mark closed Gansevoort and established 330 gallery in Hudson, New York. Now, semi-retired, Marks splits his time between New York and Florida. He still collects, curates, supports, and shepherds the scholarship of mid-century design.
Maria Kipp 1900–1988
German-American textile designer Maria Kipp was born in 1900. She was the first woman to pursue studies at the Staatliche Fachschule für Texitilindustrie (State Academy for the Textile Industry) in Plauen, Germany, where she earned her degree in textile engineering in 1923. The following year, she immigrated to the United States with her first husband. They settled in Los Angeles and Kipp began to establish herself at Ernst Haeckel Handweaves in 1926. She founded Maria Kipp Handweaves in 1931 with a focus on hand-woven furnishing fabrics. This venture would go on to thrive for nearly six decades.
Early in her career, Kipp caught the attention of prominent modernist architects such as Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra, who eagerly incorporated her creations into their interior projects. Among her esteemed clientele were notable figures like Welton Becket, who entrusted Kipp with fashioning textile designs for the Bullock's chain of department stores, and Paul Revere Williams, with whom she collaborated on interiors for celebrity homes and the Beverly Hills Polo Lounge. Kipp's client roster also included illustrious personalities like Walt Disney and Claudette Colbert. Two of Kipp's most significant commissions were for Air Force One and the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City. In 1948, Kipp was acknowledged with an award for excellence in woven fabrics from the American Institute of Decorators.
While Kipp passed away in 1988, the subtle elegance of her artful textile designs has gained even more admirers in recent years. Today she is held in similar regard as other important mid-century fabric designers like Anni Albers, Alexander Girard, and Dorothy Liebes.
Auction Results Maria Kipp
