Knoll makes makes many iconic modern chairs

#MiddleburyCT #Antiques #ModernChairs #CalvinAndHobbs

Think of an iconic modern chair and there’s a good chance it was manufactured by Knoll. The company is known for making furniture by notable designers. Many of these were innovative midcentury chairs, like Eero Saarinen’s Grasshopper and Womb chairs, Harry Bertoia’s Diamond chair and Jens Risom’s lounge chair. The company continues to manufacture these chairs, along with more recent styles by contemporary designers.

This steel pod chair garnered extra interest from collectors due to its upholstery – a graffiti version of the Declaration of Independence designed by Stephen Sprouse for Knoll. (Kovels.com)

Knoll’s textile division started in 1947. The company collaborated with textile and fashion designers as well as architects and interior designers. In 2003, fashion designer Stephen Sprouse, who started his career in the 1970s, created a textile collection for Knoll. Sprouse was known for bringing punk and graffiti influences to high fashion and he did the same for his Knoll textiles, using features like neon colors and graffiti-style lettering.

The pictured pod chair, which sold at Barton’s Auction in Pennsylvania for $4,375, has a faceted body made of pressed steel and is upholstered in fabric by Stephen Sprouse for Knoll. The colorful upholstery with bright blue lettering over a camouflage-patterned background in hot pink, orange and yellow fits in with the unusual shape and design of the chair.

Q: I read your article about a “Calvin and Hobbs” comic strip selling for a large amount. There seems to be somewhat of a rebirth for this cartoon. I have an original booklet with about 30 to 35 pages of those strips through the years. My copy is a little over 49 or 50 years old. Can you direct me to the best source to connect with for selling this booklet?

A: Very few pieces of original art for “Calvin and Hobbes” have been offered for sale. Bill Watterson, the creator of the strip, gave his original art to only a few people and it sells for high prices. Collections of the comic strip have been published in book form since 1987, so your booklet is not more than 35 years old. Some booklets sell for $5 or less. A boxed set of “The Complete Calvin and Hobbes,” which includes four paperback books containing all the strips, sold online for $50. It was in “good” condition. New boxed sets with paperback books sell for about $90 and for about $165 with hardcover books.

TIP: To set an old clock, hold the minute hand in the center, turn it clockwise and wait for each strike.

Current Prices
Judaica, Purim plate, silver plate, engraved, Hebrew text, three interlocking fish in center, 19th century, 12 1/2 inches, $605.
Sign, Orange Squeeze, “Drink Orange Squeeze,” “It Has The Real Fruit Juice,” bottle, clusters of oranges, yellow ground, metal, 20 1/4 x 28 1/4 inches, $650.
Porcelain umbrella stand, Famille Rose, square, pink ground, peony flowers, dragons, footed, 23 inches, $1,440.

For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com.

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