Mid-century modern design leads strong Strauss & Co auction results

29 Sep 2026

CAPE TOWN – Modern design from the early 20th century to the present day drew strong bidding at Strauss & Co’s dedicated auctions of Mid-Century Modern furniture, jewellery, silver, ceramics and glass. Bringing together international design icons and a strong selection of South African makers, the auctions traced the evolution of modern design from the organic motifs of Art Nouveau and the geometric vocabulary of Art Deco through the functional clarity of Bauhaus and the enduring appeal of mid-century modernism.

Comprising three sessions, the premier live-virtual Mid-Century Modern Live: Furniture, Design & Jewellery, held on Wednesday 16 September 2026, featured lots by Alvar Aalto, Georg Jensen, René Lalique, Le Corbusier, Gerrit Rietveld and Philippe Starck. The sale earned R1 953 271 / $120 164 from 59 lots sold, representing a 71.95% lot sell-through rate. Potential buyers aged between 40 and 59 accounted for more than half the bids.

Leading the results in Mid-Century Modern Live was a set of eight ‘Eva’ dining chairs by Danish designer Niels Koefoed for Koefoeds Hornslet, which sold for R199 325 / $12 262. A René Lalique ‘Terpsichore’ clear and frosted glass vase and an Art Nouveau four-panel painted screen by Alphonse Mucha each realised R96 100 / $5 912, followed by a Henry Walter Klein rosewood sideboard for Bramin, Denmark, at R90 094 / $5 543. Vladimir Kagan’s ‘Model 176SC’ Floating Curved Sofa completed the top five, selling for R84 088 / $5 173.

Other notable furniture results included a Finn Juhl ‘Jupiter 218’ leather-upholstered lounge chair, which sold for R84 088 / $5 173, and a pair of aluminium ‘Son of Atlantis’ armchairs by Mark Brazier-Jones, which realised R66 069 / $4 065. Works by Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, including later editions of LC1 and LC2 chairs, also attracted strong interest.

South African design formed an important strand of the auction, demonstrating the ways in which international modernist ideas were interpreted for local homes and lifestyles. A leaf-shaped sapele mahogany coffee table by Duros sold for R33 635 / $2 069, beating its pre-sale estimate by 800%. Other South African designers represented in the auction included Frystark, Kalahari Studio, Haldane Martin, John Tabraham and Esias Bosch.

The auction included two parallel online-only sales: Mid-Century Modern Styling: Furniture & Interiors, which earned R836 337 / $51 451 from 61 lots sold, representing a 77.22% lot sell-through rate, and a separate sale of glass, ceramics, silver and jewellery, which earned R401 328 / $24 690 from 58 lots sold, representing a 71.60% lot sell-through rate.

A Herringbone linear-ribbed maroon rug from India was among the strongest performers, selling for R81 974 / $5 043, while a Herringbone black-and-white speckled Berber rug from Morocco realised R49 185 / $3 026. A teak dining suite in the style of Niels Møller, Denmark, sold for R46 843 / $2 882.

Lalique glassware also performed strongly. A ‘Bacchantes’ frosted and clear crystal vase, no. 997, sold for R60 063 / $3 695, while a clear crystal vase designed by Lalique in 1930 realised R38 440 / $2 365.

Spanning Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Bauhaus, mid-century modernism and contemporary interpretations of modern design, the three-session auction demonstrated the enduring appeal of well-designed furniture and objects across periods, materials and markets.