Living in Design: The Michael & Gabrielle Boyd Collection 
7 June 2023
Living in Design: The Michael & Gabrielle Boyd Collection 
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Rudolph M. Schindler

Modular desk and cabinets from the Milton and Ruth Shep Commission, Los Angeles

Austria / USA, c. 1933
lacquered ash, lacquered cork largest: 13½ h × 42 w × 21 d in (34 × 107 × 53 cm) smallest: 13½ h × 21 w × 21 d in (34 × 53 × 53 cm) desktop: 1½ h × 79¾ w × 24 d in (4 × 203 × 61 cm)
estimate: $30,000–50,000
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Lot is comprised of six modular cabinets each with two drawers and cork desktop that can be arranged in a variety of different configurations.
provenance: Milton and Ruth Shep, Los Angeles | Penny Perlmutter | Acquired from the previous circa 1995, Collection of Michael and Gabrielle Boyd
literature: The Furniture of R.M. Schindler, Berns/Gebhard, ppg. 132, 136 Living in a Modern Way: California Design 1930-1965, Kaplan. pg. 73

This work will ship from Chicago, Illinois.

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Rudolph M. Schindler’s Unit Furniture

The Milton and Ruth Shep Commission

After moving from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1920 to serve as project manager for Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, Viennese modernist architect Rudolph M. Schindler built his own reputation in the city. His personal residence, the Schindler House (1922) in West Hollywood, the Lovell Beach House (1922-26) in Newport Beach, and the R.E. Elliot House (1930) in Los Feliz are some of the important homes that Schindler designed over the next decade.

Plans for the Milton and Ruth Shep House, Los Angeles, CA (1935), designed by Rudolph M. Schindler
Plans for the Milton and Ruth Shep House, Los Angeles, CA (1935), designed by Rudolph M. Schindler (Photo courtesy of the Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara)

In the early 1930s, Schindler was commissioned by Milton and Ruth Shep to create plans and interior elements for their home on a steep slope in the hilly, east-side neighborhood of Silver Lake. Although construction of the property never transpired, Schindler did produce twenty pieces of what he called “unit furniture” for the Shep commission. The aim behind this style of furniture was to bring sophisticated, flexible design to the masses in a cost-effective way. The six cabinets offered in the present lot are part of this notable Schindler project.

Rendering for the Milton and Ruth Shep House, Los Angeles, CA (1935), designed by Rudolph M. Schindler
Rendering for the Milton and Ruth Shep House, Los Angeles, CA (1935), designed by Rudolph M. Schindler (Photo courtesy of the Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara)

An interesting plainness is the most difficult and most precious thing to achieve.

Rudolph M. Schindler

Rudolph M. Schindler 1887–1953

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Rudolph Michael Schindler was an Austrian-born architect and designer who came to define the landscape of mid-century modernism in Southern California. His education began at the Imperial Technical Institute in Vienna from 1906 to 1911 before studying under Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1910 to 1913. Schindler eventually sought the mentorship of Frank Lloyd Wright in Chicago. In 1920, he was hired by Wright to oversee the important Hollyhock House commission in Los Angeles. Schindler would remain in California for the rest of his life.

His iconic home and studio, the Schindler Chase House on Kings Road, set the stage for California Modernism. The construction featured a minimalist approach and linear form built in sleek concrete with sliding glass doors opening to gardens — all of which became staples of the Southern California style. The space was designed for communal living and Schindler shared the space with his wife Pauline among many other important figures, including Richard Neutra and John Cage. Between the years of 1920 and 1953, Schindler designed numerous residential commissions such as the Lovell Beach House (1922), Rodriguez House (1942), Kallis House (1946), and the Tischler House (1949). While Rudolph Schindler’s death was untimely, his legacy and philosophy continue to be celebrated in his iconic structures.

Auction Results Rudolph M. Schindler

Rudolph M. Schindler

Unit chair and ottoman for the Van Patten House, Los Angeles

estimate: $15,000–25,000

result: $56,250

Rudolph M. Schindler

Custom desk for the J. L. Armon House, Los Angeles

estimate: $30,000–50,000

result: $44,100

Rudolph M. Schindler

Armchair

estimate: $10,000–12,000

result: $31,200

Rudolph M. Schindler

pair of stools from the Gingold Residence, Los Angeles

estimate: $20,000–30,000

result: $30,000

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