Top Picks From The Salon Art + Design 2016

Important vintage pieces sat alongside stunning new works from some of the world’s top galleries at The Salon Art + Design 2016 held in New York City. In its fifth edition, the show featured works that are equally art and design, as much a pleasure for the eyes and soul as functional pieces for the home. We picked some of our favorite highlights from this year’s delights.

This Italian sofa, created in the 1950s, is perfectly current for today’s interiors. Bernd Goeckler Antiques presented the asymmetric three-seater sofa, newly upholstered in a fantastic fabric. It sits atop a raised stained walnut base with tapered splayed legs.

This is a timeless modern shape.
This is a timeless modern shape.

The Cristina Grajales Gallery presented this special Sebastian Errazuriz lamp. The Chilean-born artist “incorporates his obsession with the opposition between life and death into his artwork, creating work that reminds viewers of their mortality.”

Christina Grajales Bird Lamp

Demisch Danant showed this spectacular grouping that includes a textile fresco by Sheila Hicks, composed of five panels formed from twisted skeins of linen, silk, and cotton. The stunning Maria Pergay sofa is made of T-black stainless steel and features colorful  marquetry of polished steel, bone and straw, tassels and cushions. The coffee table is all by Pergay.

Pergay's pieces form the nucleus of the room.
Pergay’s pieces form the nucleus of the room.
The marquetry detail is particularly handsome.
The marquetry detail is particularly handsome.

Israeli artist Ayala Serfaty created the SOMA series, which involves weaving and intertwining thinly blown glass, then layering the composite objects with tinted transparent glass veins. These light sculptures resemble aquatic forms such as crystals and seabed plants, writes Maison Gerard, who presented the light sculptures.

Like crystalline clouds, the installation includes a set of seven lights.
Like crystalline clouds, the installation includes a set of seven lights.

We saw a variety of exciting sculptures at The Salon+Design, being drawn most to these two pieces.  The first is “Tied Up” by Danish ceramist Steen Ipsen, whose decorative ceramic expression involves both form and decoration. It was shown by the J. Lohman Gallery.

The organic form is globular and highly interesting.
The organic form is globular and highly interesting.

The Adrian Sassoon Gallery presented a wide range of contemporary ceramic pieces, including a number from Kate Malone. Her multidimensional “Green Tumbling Magma Sculpture” is made from crystalline-glazed stoneware. Malone maintains studios in London and France and has become one of Britain’s most well-known ceramic artists.

Mason's piece has great depth and variety.
Mason’s piece has great depth and variety.

Wolfs+Jung “A voice” and “Silence” are made from patinated bronze and are a current statement on today’s world situation. Boyoung Jung of Korea and Emanuel Wolfs of Belgium make up the art collective, currently based in Seoul. The duo frequently creates works that address and challenges contemporary subjects. The pieces are being shown by the Amman Gallery.

Amman Gallery Voice Strength

Bernd Goeckler also showed this fantastic piece by Max Ingrand, created ca. 1954 in Milan. It features five beveled and overlapping discs of clear, aqua, rose, and tea-colored glass in a gilded brass structure. Historic, modern and magnificent.

Bernd Goeckler Lighting

Amttia Bonetti’s plush sofa called Shield features ornately carved medallions at each end, which seem to contain its full-figured, voluptuous mass. Swiss-born Bonetti’s work has been called “whimsical, surreal and unique.”  The pieces was shown by the David Gill Gallery.

Full and lovely, the Shield sofa is very inviting.
Full and lovely, the Shield sofa is very inviting.
A carved medallion accents each end.
A carved medallion accents each end.

Artist Judy Kensley McKie’s whimsical yet very refined cat bench is made from patinated bronze and shown by the DeLorenzo Gallery. The gallery specializes in 20th Century Decorative Arts and the work of acknowledged  French Art Deco period masters.

The Cat Bench was created in 2002.
The Cat Bench was created in 2002.

Verner Panton’s 1969 suspension model “Ball lamp” was a colorful beacon from across the venue, drawing you in with its vibrancy and light. The plastic ceiling rosette,  anchors pink and orange spheres that are suspended by nylon thread. The work conceals three light sources. Presented by Galerie du Passage of Paris, it was one of a number of colorful pieces featured.

The neon bright color is most attractive.
The neon bright color is most attractive.

Flow and motion emanate from this spectacular screen by Marc Fornes. Presented by Gallery ALL of Los Angles and Beijing, it is made from painted aluminum. Although the work is large and substantial, it maintains a light and airy presence.

Star-shaped cut-outs perforate the large work.
Star-shaped cut-outs perforate the large work.

A small and stately egg stool by Brazilian-born design superstars the Campagna Brothers was in display in the Giustini / Stagetti Galleria O. Roma booth.  The gallery specializes in Italian 20th century design as well as  international contemporary design.

Intricate metalwork frames a soft, upholstered egg shape.
Intricate metalwork frames a soft, upholstered egg shape.

Like giant gems suspended from the ceiling, “Lustre aux Couleurs de la Forêt” (Luster of the colors of the forest) by Swedish artist Frida Fjellman is chunky, large and emotional. The shades of green used in the piece evoke an organic feel. “What is it that strikes our feelings? What makes us smile, what makes us become engaged? In my work, I repeatedly seize on what is perceived as too much,” the artist writes in her statement. The work was show by Hostler Burrows.

Crystalline beauty lit from within.
Crystalline beauty lit from within.

Friedman Benda’s space featured these two imposing and voluminous rice paper and bamboo floor lamps. They were created by Andrea Branzi, an influential Italian architect and designer. Branzi was part of the group of artists who founded the Archizoom Associati in 1966. He also promotes the Italian Radical Architecture movement.

Grandiose fixtures that still maintain a feeling of lightness.
Grandiose fixtures that still maintain a feeling of lightness.

This piece from Galerie Kreo was particularly surprising from a materials standpoint.  While the gallery always has new and inventive works, this piece is actually made from industrial felt that is encased in a fiberglass and epoxy resin to give it strength and stability. The modern design by François Bouchet, combined with the unusual material distinguish this table.

This table is from Bauchet's Cellae Collection.
This table is from Bauchet’s Cellae Collection.

Gallery Kreo also present this Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. Part of a collection, the bell shapes come in customized, colored metal and are illuminated with LED lights. The Parisian siblings started working with Cappellini in 1997 and have worked with many leading names in lighting design since then.

The long, slender fixture dominates the space without overwhelming.
The long, slender fixture dominates the space without overwhelming.
The fixture is artful from all angles.
The fixture is artful from all angles.

This table from the Marc Heiremans Gallery reminds us of a golden planet, swirling in a galaxy of shine and glitz.

Low and smooth, this table evokes movement.
Low and smooth, this table evokes movement.

“La Religious” was created by Pierre Chareau circa 1923. Made for the Grand Hotel in Tours, France, it has four alabaster triangular panels within adjustable black-patinated metal mounts, and a conical mahogany base. As the Gallery Marcilhac website posits… “Sculpted lamp or illuminated sculpture?”

Low and smooth, this table evokes movement.
Low and smooth, this table evokes movement.

We could not stop looking at this marvelous bench from the Maria Wettergren Gallery. The amply stuffed tufts of mohair fabric inlaid closely together create a most unusual looking surface.  The smooth and tidy surface is a direct contrast to the loose ends of the tufts dangling underneath.

Maria Wettergren Bench

A sensational arrangement of found object mirrors had us wishing we could take them all home. Each one is a quirky and original piece of art, but en masse, they are marvelous. All were created by Cristabol M. and are presented by Mark McDonald of Hudson, NY.

MarkMcDonald wall of found mirrors

A pair of marvelous chairs displayed by M.F. Toninelli of Monaco feature sumptuous upholstery, however it is the  open leg detail that drew us in. The construction makes the wood supports as much part of the art as the function.

MF Tininelli chairs

Modernity Gallery of Stockholm displayed these classic vintage Scandinavian pieces. We are particularly take with the armchairs that were designed by Magnus Stephenson of Denmark in 1963, They are composed of mahogany and the original cognac leather.

Classic vintage Scandinavian pieces are always in style.
Classic vintage Scandinavian pieces are always in style.

Homedit first encountered Christopher Duffy’s astounding works at Design Miami. Shown By the Sarah Myerscough Gallery, the tables are composed of wood, resin and glass in a way that mimics the geological relief of undersea bed. He started making the tables after one day in his glass factory he noticed how it darkened as they added more layers.

Cristopher Duffy's Abyss Horizon.
Cristopher Duffy’s Abyss Horizon.
The edge of the wood layers is equally detailed.
The edge of the wood layers is equally detailed.

This remarkable painting is by Maisie Broadhead, who re-interprets historical art images, and focuses on the exploration of illusion and the idea of “value.”  The physical extension of the pearls out of the painted representation breathes extra live into the painting, bridging the dimensions.

The Mysercough Gallery also represents Broadhead's work.
The Mysercough Gallery also represents Broadhead’s work.

Nilufar’s unusual chair is covetable for its fluid design and attractive curve.

Nilufar Chair Design

The “One Piece” chair in bronze by Marc Fish, is an organic-looking form presented by the Todd Merrill Studio. Created in 2016, it is part of a series  exploring the positive and negative space that a single piece of wood can occupy. It is constructed from nearly 180 pieces of oak timber, shaped, hand-carved, and then sanded until smooth. The textures and colors are created with bronze and squid ink dye.

Todd Merrill Chair

Victor Hunt presented this bold room by Tomás Alonso, called the vaalbeek project. The modern and colorful pieces complement each other well. The coffee table has ridges across the top and the stone accessories have them across the bottom, which helps keep the elements in place. The rug on the wall and the floor lamp are a perfect pairing.

Each element in the room has unique features.
Each element in the room has unique features.

Andy Paiko Glass created this stunning smoky colored vertical installation called Smolder. Working in the Pacific Northwest, Paiko considers his goal as an artist” to examine the role of glass in relation to its function.” The piece here is presented by the Wexler Gallery of Philadelphia.

Wexler Gallery Glass Columns

This is along list, but it barely scratches the surface when it concerns all the wonderful pieces we wanted to take home from The Salon Art+Design.