On the Square

It goes with everything. After several decades and multiple comebacks, midcentury modern furniture has proven to be endlessly irresistible. With major retailers such as CB2, West Elm and IKEA continuing to churn out replicas of 1950s designs, the coined phrase from the 1980s, "midcentury modern" is now a popular buzzword being fired off by buyers in their twenties.  The vintage "modern" style seems to become even more modern as time goes on, both in appearance and theory. Original midcentury modern pieces and copies alike are appreciated for many of the same reasons designers such as Herman Miller, Florence Knoll, Charles and Ray Eames and Ee... Read More

As millennials take their first cautious steps into the realm of homeownership, they face their next big challenge – creating an outdoor living space where they can relax and entertain. Many millennials don’t necessarily want the same plastic Adirondack chair and table set their parents bought in the early 90’s. They want something with a bit more character, something with a bit less ‘mass market’ feel, something a bit, well… ‘hipper’. Enter Rago’s August Unreserved Auctions on August 24-26, a three-day auction series of antique, vintage and modern design and art, including a bumper crop of garden furniture, planters, benches, and architectur... Read More

Director of Rago's Unreserved Department, Michael Ingham explores works by the Memphis Group! The Memphis Group from Rago Arts and Auction Center on Vimeo. Transcript: "Let’s take a quick look today at two lots featured in our upcoming August Rago Unreserved Auctions. "Memphis, founded by Ettore Sottsass, reacted against the international style and gave post-modernism in the 1980’s its most recognizable expression. "Lot 600 is Martine Bedin’s Super Lamp. Bedin, a French architect, is the youngest of the three founding members of Memphis. She was a talented lighting designer, and this lamp is classic example of her work. "Lot 601 is a perfect ... Read More

Playing with temperatures that reach 2000°F is a game that takes a lot of practice, especially when you're the one responsible for telling the flames what to do. Similarly, in both the ceramic and glass discipline, a great deal of success depends on the makers ability to take aim at a desired form and know exactly how much stress their creation can withstand. Though unpredictable at times, those who are able to master the fury of the flame have access to an endless gamut of fascinating outcomes. It's no secret that ceramic and glass art is one of Bidsquare's strongest categories, and over the years we've seen our bidders turn up the heat to c... Read More

As the equinox makes its way toward midsummers' tilt, to provide us with optimal sunshine, the Bidsquare platform has been busy luring in several radiant rocks of its own.  Plucked from Grogan & Company, The Spring Auction catalog on June 3rd as well as Rago, Fine Jewelry catalog on June 10th, these five pieces have set an optimistic tone for the beginning of the month:  Lot 251, Platinum, Sapphire, and Diamond Ring; Sold for $31,250 - Grogan & Company Classic glamour - weighing in at an impressive 20.05 cts., this oval-cut sapphire and diamond ring was ablaze with online bidding activity! The sheer weight of the stone, in combination with a ... Read More

Marie Zimmermann (1879 – 1972) is considered the most versatile and skilled craftswoman of the 20th century with an oeuvre that spanned movements, styles, and mediums. A female pioneer in metallurgy, a field dominated almost exclusively by men, she dedicated the first 25 years of her career to learning the techniques she would later employ in artworks produced in her own atelier from the 1910s through the 1930s. The result was a rich outpouring of work as varied as it is impressive. She produced jewelry, candelabra, vessels, garden gates, and more, in a dizzying array of materials--gold, silver, bronze, copper and iron. She was also a painter... Read More

The surrealist, the classicist, the craftsman, the strategist; four designers deeply dedicated to their distinct methods and ideologies. However, despite their differences, these four (soon to be named) characters equally effected and swayed society's understanding of modern design. Grappling with the role and function that furniture played in peoples everyday lives was a fertile topic - quite literally “on the table” for 20th-century designers like Meret Oppenheim, T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings, George Nakashima and Pierre Jeanneret. On May 20th, Rago Auctions in Lambertville, NJ unified these four influencers, amongst many others, in their Modern ... Read More