Design 
6 June 2023
Design 
248

Paul T. Frankl

Early bookcase from the artist's cabin, Bearsville, New York

USA, c. 1925
lacquered wood, patinated brass 32½ h × 48¼ w × 10 d in (83 × 123 × 25 cm)
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $37,800
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This early, one-of-a-kind example is a precursor to Frankl's iconic Skyscraper series and was designed and constructed by hand at the artist’s cabin located in Bearsville, New York.
Bookcase features ten divided compartments and two drawers.
provenance: Collection of the artist, Bearsville, NY | Acquired from the previous c. 1948, Private Collection | Private Collection

This work will ship from Lambertville, New Jersey.

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Early and Important Works

from the Collection of Paul Frankl

They are one-of-a-kind works by one of most important American modernists. As such, they are not only quite rare but important documents of the early history of modernism in the United States.

The items listed for this sale come from the cabin near Bearsville, New York, once owned by the designer Paul T. Frankl (1886–1958). Frankl first occupied the cabin around 1919–1920, and he subsequently bought it as his summer getaway from his busy life in Manhattan. In the early 1920s, Frankl was one of the leading figures in the struggles for modernism in the United States, repeatedly speaking out and/or writing for the cause of the new design. He was the founding figure behind the establishment of the American Union of Decorative Artists and Craftsmen (AUDAC), and for many years he was the dean of New York modern furniture designers. Frankl’s gallery on East 48th Street became a mecca for those seeking to acquire the new design. Frankl routinely went to the Bearsville cabin in the warmer months, sometimes staying for longer periods, sometimes only over the weekend. He had many close friends in the area and in nearby Woodstock. The items for sale all come from the cabin. Most were made by Frankl himself (or with the aid of friends or his son Peter), and they clearly represent his own designs. Most were evidently fabricated on site in the 1920s or early 1930s, before Frankl moved to Los Angeles in 1934. Since they were never mass manufactured, they are one-of-a-kind works by one of most important American modernists. As such, they are not only quite rare but important documents of the early history of modernism in the United States.

Christopher Long, Ph.D.
Martin S. Kermacy Centennial Professor
American Collegiate Schools of Architecture Distinguished Professor
University Distinguished Teaching Professor


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