MAY

Light powerfully influences the way we perceive the world around us. Throughout history, this relationship and fascination with light has been expressed in a variety of ways, most notably through art and architecture.

Impressionist painters explored the transformative qualities of light through its effects on color and objects at different times of the day. Similarly, in literature, descriptors of light have long been used to evoke a certain mood or emotion. The ancient Greeks also made use of light’s luminous qualities to breathe life into marble sculptures.

In the 1960s and ‘70s, lighting design became more experimental in form and function and a critical element in itself, influenced largely by cultural movements and technological advancements. One artist, the iconic Dan Flavin, used widely available fluorescent lights to create evocative, colorful, three-dimensional light works.

Inspired by this notion of light as an element of design – its existence (or lack thereof) just as much as an actor in a space as any piece of art – our team set out to cast items included in this auction in a new light.

Fittingly, the colorful and striking backdrop to this catalogue, Lengua Madre, was inspired by the famed Mexican architect Luis Barragán, a master of light and color. Using stark lines, bright colors and intentional lighting, this vibrant omakase-style Mexican restaurant in the Lower Garden District has created a unique and surprising modern oasis that’s in stark contrast with the building’s unassuming exterior (in addition to its incredible aesthetic, Lengua Madre is also one of the South’s best restaurants, and its Executive Chef, Ana Castro, is a nominee for the 2023 “Best Chef in the South” award by the James Beard Foundation).

The vibrant space set the stage for showcasing some of this auction’s select items, from antique furniture to sculpture, in unexpected ways.

In keeping with this light-infused theme, we are delighted to offer the estate of beloved illumination artist and design consultant, Dean Coe. Dean opened Leitmotif Designs in 1982, a first-of-its-kind high-tech lighting design gallery in New Orleans. Keen on utilizing light to create dramatic juxtapositions in line and style, he incorporated modern lighting into the city’s traditional 19th-century architecture by creatively illuminating the elaborate plasterwork and high ceilings.

Our May Estates Auction takes place May 20-21 at 10 a.m. each day. Exhibition opens Monday, May 8, and continues through Friday, May 19. The gallery is open Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

As you browse the nearly 800 lots in this sale, I encourage you to consider how each may be transformed by light. I hope that in doing so, you will be illuminated by a new perspective.

See you at the auction,

Taylor Eichenwald Assistant Director