Palm Beach Modern Auctions
Live Auction

Modern Art & Design, 3 Sessions: Fall 2020

Sat, Oct 10, 2020 12:00PM EDT
Lot 175

Grosfeld's Desk Selected by Samuel Marx, Plotkin-Dresner Residence

Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$3,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$30,000 $2,500
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
Artist/Designer; Manufacturer: Grosfeld's
Marking(s); notes: Grosfeld's label
Country of origin; materials: USA; finish over wood, leather, brass
Dimensions (H, W, D): 29.75"h, 48"w, 26"d
Additional Information: Desk is finished on all sides with Greek key decoration and nine drawers. This is one of the pieces designed and/or selected by architect and designer Samuel Marx for the Plotkin-Dresner residence of Highland Park, Illinois. The family, of Oshkosh Luggage renown, is known publicly for their charitable works, and personally for their modern views and lifestyle. Oscar Hillel-Plotkin's granddaughter describes her grandparents' outlook as "forward-thinking in all things" and engaged Marx to design their home for precisely this reason. She fondly recalls breakfasts in the Ravine Room (as her grandmother called it) with its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the woods. The family's charitable impact is recognized through the Oscar Hillel Plotkin Memorial Library of the North Shore Congregation Israel and by personal correspondence donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Provenance: Provenance: Plotkin-Dresner Residence, Highland Park, Illinois.

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Condition

average, tears/scratches/nicks to leather, some patches of missing leather, patina to metal, nicks/scratches/loss/discoloration to finish, wear consistent with age moderate/heavy use