Art dealer Barry Friedman, who announced his plans to retire this month back in November 2013, is auctioning off his substantial holdings in 20th- and 21st-century decorative arts and design, fine art, photography, ceramics, and glass. A total of 400 lots are going up for a series of auctions at Christie's Rockefeller Plaza location that, for glass collectors, will culminate in the sale of his holdings in Italian and contemporary glass in the morning and the afternoon of Thursday, March 27th respectively.
Friedman began to deal in art and design in the 1960s, quickly gaining notice for his quick rise in the Art Nouveau furniture market. He was known for identifying under-appreciated areas of the art and design worlds, and reviving them. Glass art is a perfect example. After his discovery of Michael Glancy’s work in 1996 at an exhibition in Switzerland, Friedman embraced glass and positioned it as what he called “contemporary decorative art.” At his uptown gallery, and more recently in Chelsea, he has championed work in glass by such artists as Glancy, Giles Bettison, Yoichi Ohira, and Laura de Santillana.
On Thursday, March 27th, starting at 10 AM, Friedman's significant collection of Italian Glass will be sold in a standalone auction event. Pieces by Napoleone Martinuzzi, Vittorio Zecchin, Fratelli Toso, Flavio Poli and Tobias Scarpa will go on the block. That afternoon, Friedman's important Contemporary Glass collection will go up for bid starting at 2 PM, with notable works by Yoichi Ohira, Toots Zynsky, Laura De Santillana, Frantisek Vizner, Michael Glancy, and William Morris.
IF YOU GO:
Barry Friedman "The Ecelctic Eye" Christie's 20 Rockefeler Plaza New York, NY 10020 Website Email: cvilinger@christies.com Tel: 212 646 2240