WHY: Paola Antonelli

Design's DNA does not come from just the birth certificate of the designer but rather from a combination of personal history and cultural baggage. - Paola Antonelli, MoMA

WHERE: 19th Century Furniture and Art at Sotheby's

On November 16, Sotheby’s will present an auction of 19th Century Furniture and Decorative Works of Art, including sculpture, ceramics, silver and carpets. Prior to the sale from November 12 through 15, visitors can view several distinguished collections including a pendule de parquet after the 18th century model by Andre-Charles Boulle and micro-mosaic table top on a revolving stand attributed to Antonio Aguatti.

For more information, please visit sothebys.com.

Image and info courtesy Sotheby’s.

WHEN: Doyle Auction of American Furniture, November 17

Doyle New York will auction American Furniture and Decorative Arts, including Paintings and Historical, Topographical and Audubon Prints on Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 10am. The sale showcases important American furniture and decorative arts from the Colonial period through the Federal and Classical styles. Silver, ceramics, mirrors, Chinese Export porcelain, American Indian art, and rugs will also be offered. A special section of the sale will feature a broad selection of paintings and Audubon, Currier & Ives, and topographical prints.

Highlights include a set of four federal inlaid mahogany dining chairs, estimated at $30,000 - $40,000.

For more information, please visit doylenewyork.com.

Info and image courtesy Doyle New York.

WHAT: “L’Amour Fou”

“L’Amour Fou” centers around Yves Saint Laurent’s lifelong partner, businessman Pierre Bergé, as he comes to terms with the death of the designer.

Filmmaker Pierre Thoretton uses the 2009 auction of their extravagant art collection to frame the story and bring up issues of love and loss, especially where they relate to material possessions.

In the film, Bergé speaks poignantly about attending to the collection's "funeral" and hoping the precious pieces will "fly off like birds and find a new place they can perch." He adds, "But losing someone with whom you have lived for 50 years … that is another thing entirely."

Copy and image courtesy “In L’Amour Fou, A Life Without Yves Saint Laurent,” published in The Los Angeles Times, May 22, 2011.

WHO: The New Auctioneers

C K Swett (pictured), Lydia Fenet and Simon De Pury are three of the auctioneers profiled in the New York Times article “A Young Auctioneer Breaks into the Gavel Clique” which ran on October 30. While the auction world is often portrayed as stuffy and exclusive, this entertaining and surprising collection of profiles shows a completely different side of the scene. Gold lame cape, anyone?

To learn more about the men and women who are changing the face (and voice) of the auction circuit, please visit nytimes.com.

Image courtesy racked.com.

WEEKLY Ws: At Auction

As a child I was dragged to more auctions than I can remember. My father was always on the lookout for an amazing find – a church pew, artwork, furniture – and my childhood memories of trips to Vermont invariably include a soundtrack along the lines of HeynowdoIheartwohundredtwohundredoverheredoIhearthree... The genetic predisposition to searching out and collecting others’ treasures seems to have skipped me and gone straight to my brother (see The Dumpster Project). However, a recent article in the New York Times inspired us to take a closer look at the auction world. This week we’ll look at the Who, What, Where, When and Why of making everything old, new again.