Essential Design 
9 January 2025
Essential Design 
291

Frank Gehry

Untitled (Sculpture for Knoll)

Canada/USA, 1999
brushed aluminum 7⅛ h × 3¾ w × 3½ d in (18 × 10 × 9 cm)
estimate: $700–900
result: $2,032
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This lot is being sold to benefit A Brain Tumor and A Dream, a non-profit founded by Lawrence Laske to support the design community and the next generation of creative thinkers.
Incised signature to underside ‘Gehry’. This work is from the edition of 100 produced for a special event at Knoll in 1999.
provenance: Gift from Bill Shea, Collection of Lawrence Laske

This work will ship from Chicago, Illinois.

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Endlessly Curious

Works from the Collection of Lawrence Laske

Renowned American designer Lawrence Laske has spent over three decades cultivating a remarkable collection of drawings, sketchbooks, models, and prototypes that capture his boundless creativity and meticulous approach to design. Known for his inventive concepts, Laske's work spans a diverse range of products, objects, and furniture, each meticulously documented through detailed sketches, hand-drawn renderings, and handcrafted models, often accompanied by prototypes.

After earning his degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana in 1985, Laske further honed his craft at the prestigious Domus Academy in Milan. He began his professional journey with the legendary Ettore Sottsass at Sottsass Associati, an experience that would shape his career and connect him with prominent designers and manufacturers such as Knoll, Alessi, Ingo Maurer, Philippe Starck, Matteo Thun, Andrea Branzi and Emilio Ambasz.

This collection offered here presents a unique opportunity to explore Laske’s visionary legacy, showcasing pieces that reflect his passion for the design process and endless curiosity. 

292 Ettore Sottsass

Collection of four ties

estimate: $100–150

result: $3,048

291 Frank Gehry

Untitled (Sculpture for Knoll)

estimate: $700–900

result: $2,032

287 Lawrence Laske

Ring

estimate: $1,200–1,500

result: $1,905

284 Andrea Branzi

Drawing for Trees 4B

estimate: $1,200–1,500

288 Lawrence Laske

Saguaro Cactus table with inscription

estimate: $1,000–1,500

result: $1,207

284 Andrea Branzi

Drawing for Trees 4B

estimate: $1,200–1,500

289 Lawrence Laske

SOBO, Switch On Blow Out table lamp candlestick

estimate: $700–900

result: $1,270

285 Andrea Branzi

Drawing for Trees 8B

estimate: $1,200–1,500

286 Enzo Mari

Pesci

estimate: $500–700

result: $528

282 Andrea Branzi

Drawing for Trees C4

estimate: $800–1,200

result: $699

290 Lawrence Laske

Furniture models for Memphis, set of six

estimate: $300–500

result: $254

Frank Gehry b. 1929

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Frank Gehry was born on February 28, 1929 in Toronto, Canada. His family moved to Los Angeles where Gehry would attend the University of Southern California earning his bachelor degree in architecture in 1954. In 1956 Gehry moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to study city planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he completed only two years of the program before returning to Los Angeles. Back in California, Gehry worked for Hideo Sasaki, Pereira & Luckman, Victor Gruen & Associates and André Remondet before starting his own firm, Frank Gehry and Associates in 1962.

Early projects in his career, such as his Easy Edges furniture line (1969-1973) comprised of chairs, stools and tables made of stacked corrugated cardboard, and his 1978 remodel of his Santa Monica residence using industrial items such as chain-link fencing, corrugated metal, wire-reinforced glass and plywood exhibit Gehry’s innovative use of materials and originality in form. By the 1980s Gehry was established in the field and in 1989 he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize for his experimental and extraordinary approach to design. Gehry rose to fame with important structures and projects such as the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao (1997) and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles (2003). Today Gehry is well-known for his distinct, artistic style.

Auction Results Frank Gehry

Frank Gehry

Winton Guest House

estimate: $1,000,000–1,500,000

result: $905,000

Frank Gehry

work tables for Chiat/Day Temporary Offices, Venice, California

estimate: $5,000–7,000

result: $44,840

Frank Gehry

conference table for the Chiat/Day Temporary Offices, Venice, California

estimate: $15,000–20,000

result: $33,040

Frank Gehry

Bubbles chaise lounge

estimate: $12,000–15,000

result: $29,900

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