Sotheby's Milano to Hold First Design Auction with Postwar Italian Masters

Sotheby's Milano will host its inaugural design auction, Design Edit Milan, from June 21 to 27, with public viewing from June 23 to 27 at Palazzo Serbelloni. The sale celebrates Italian architects and designers from the 20th and 21st centuries, featuring works by rationalists Piero Bottoni, Giuseppe Pagano, and Gino Levi Montalcini, alongside pieces by Osvaldo Borsani, Gio Ponti, Ignazio Gardella, Ettore Sottsass, and Gaetano Pesce. A highlight is a group of furnishings created or selected by Osvaldo Borsani between 1949 and 1950 for a private residence, including a blue and gold painted ceramic ceiling light by Lucio Fontana adapted for illumination. Other notable lots include a bar cabinet by Borsani (estimate €12,000–18,000), a large oval table with Candoglia marble top (€10,000–15,000), a pair of armchairs by Ico Parisi from 1952 (€10,000–15,000), a floor lamp by Gino Sarfatti from 1951 (€18,000–24,000), a chair by Piero Bottoni from 1936 (€8,000–10,000), a console and mirror by Gio Ponti and Pietro Chiesa circa 1931 (€8,000–12,000), and a bookshelf by Ignazio Gardella from the 1950s (€10,000–15,000). Elena Checchi, Sotheby's 20th Century Design specialist, noted growing client interest in iconic Italian and international design. The auction follows Sotheby's Important Design Sale in Paris, which achieved €24.6 million, the second-highest total in Europe for the category.