Marshmallow Sofa Fluffs Mid-Century Modern Art Auction, Expected To Toast Previous Records

Sept. 3, 2007 - PRLog -- Lambertville, New Jersey - September, 1 2007 - In 1956 designer Irving Harper conceptualized the now iconic Marshmallow Sofa, this October an original sofa will be sold through Rago Auctions in Lambertville, NJ. What makes this auction unique is that designer, Irving Harper, at age 91, has finally met up with his infamous design. Never having owned one, Mr. Harper, whose famed sofa has appeared in numerous venues including film sets, corporate and private decor, print ads and museum collections, will get the opportunity to see his famed work break previous auction prices. Mr. Harper, who was recently photographed with the sofa, has signed his work and hopes to be in attendance at the auction. Additionally, and of special interest to collectors, is the rarity of this particular sofa, it is the second of only two existing 'extended versions' of the Marshmallow sofa ever produced from the time of its introduction in 1956. The first was auctioned nearly 10 years ago and the whereabouts of the second sofa were unknown until recently. This extremely unusual Marshmallow sofa will be on the auction block nearing the end of October, 2007. This auction will undoubtedly capture the interest of Design Collectors world wide.

At the time of its introduction in 1956, few designers were expanding the horizons of furniture design, let alone furniture as an object of modern art. Today, the Marshmallow sofa resonates as one of the earliest examples of Pop Art in furniture design. Its form, as it was in 1956 and still to this day, is purely avant-garde and a far reach from the design of conventional sofas. Having arbitrarily stumbled upon the design concept for the Marshmallow sofa, Mr. Harper never expected it to be picked up for production. Nonetheless, it caught the attention of renowned designer and leader of George Nelson Associates, George Nelson, and soon production through Herman Miller Furniture Co. began. Only a scarce amount of sofas were produced at the time of its introduction. Today, vintage period pieces are hard to find and can be costly, a 1998 auction of an 18 cushion Marshmallow Sofa reached a whopping $72,600, smashing the previous auction price of $60,000. Now, even more remarkably, an original Marshmallow sofa, double the size of a traditional 18 cushion sofa, has surfaced for auction. Until now there has only been one other double sized vintage Marshmallow sofa to hit the auction market. Treadway-Toomey Gallery auctioned the extended version in 1998, the description from the auction catalog notes …‘(the extended) Marshmallow sofa, custom made for the ConEdison Building, NYC, 1958…extremely rare, only two ever produced’. Pre-sale estimates at the time were $25,000 to $35,000, but when the hammer came down the king-sized Marshmallow sofa sold for an unprecedented $60,000, a record setting sale for Treadway-Toomey Galleries. In the fast paced world of art and design auctions, this is a spectacular and extremely rare sale. Private and corporate collectors, museums and mid-century design enthusiasts across the globe will be keeping an eye on this extraordinary period piece of furniture. There is little doubt that yet another record will be broken by the sale of this sofa.

It is not often that the art and auction circuit comes across such a rare and important find. An iconic piece of furniture that helped change the course of furniture design and at the same time emphasized the Pop Art movement, the Marshmallow Sofa, as well as its designer, Irving Harper, deserves the attention and accolades of the art world.

TDA Studios, The Deep Archives, specializes in the representation, brokering, and archiving of various forms of art and artists.

Susan Hollandsworth
TDA Studios
973-580-2576
973-795-8358
hollandsworthsusan@yahoo.com
www.thedeeparchives.com

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TDA Studios, The Deep Archives, specializes in the representation, brokering, and archiving of various forms of art and artists.

Website: www.thedeeparchives.com