Works of Rye's Irving Harper, who died last year at age 99, will be auctioned in January in Chicago. An exhibit in New York will precede the auction. Harper's works were exhibited at the Rye Arts Center in 2014 and 2015 and one of his works was auctioned in January 2015 to support the RAC.
The Wright Auction House says about the preview (exhibit), which runs in New York from January 8 – 21, 2016 (11 am – 6 pm
Tuesday – Saturday):
"Wright presents Irving Harper: Paper Sculptures, an exhibition and auction devoted to the idiosyncratic, extraordinary and diverse series of sculptures created by renowned industrial designer Irving Harper. Working from the attic of his Rye, New York home, Harper created extensive groups of works in a dizzying array of visual motifs, drawing on a wide-ranging set of artistic influences. His primary material of choice was paper, and Harper’s mastery of the delicate material gave way to the execution of a seemingly limitless stream of objects.
With the exception of a few gifts to friends, this auction represents the sculptural work created by Harper in its entirety, and is a rare opportunity to see a little known chapter of one of modern design’s most important protagonists. A selection of works from Harper’s extraordinary oeuvre will be exhibited in our New York gallery beginning January 8th. All works will be sold at auction in Chicago on January 21st."
More about the auction.
More about the exhibit.
Finally from Metropolis magazine: "When Irving Harper, director of design at George Nelson Associates, died last August at age 99, he was remembered not only for his iconic designs like the 1948 Atomic Ball Clock, the Herman Miller logo, and the 1956 Marshmallow Sofa, but also for his work as a paper artist. His creations first received attention in 2001 when he graced the cover of Metropolis magazine, followed by a book, Irving Harper: Works in Paper (Skira Rizzoli, 2013), and a show at the Rye Arts Center in Rye, New York…
Over the course of almost four decades, he created more than 300 abstract works and sculptures that resembled surreal animals, Picassoesque figures, and African-inspired masks, filling his three-story farmhouse and barn in Rye."
