London, 20 April 2026 - Phillips has unveiled highlights from its Design auction in London on 30 April, a sale anchored by François-Xavier Lalanne's iconic Mouton de Pierre sheep and a distinguished group of French mid-century design. Bringing together visionary objects that trace the evolution of design from post-war reconstruction to radical experimentation, the auction ranges from Ettore Sottsass, Jr.'s deeply personal and unique Toeletta Nanda, estimated at £80,000 to £120,000, to exceptional works by Jean Prouvé and Charlotte Perriand, alongside pioneering collaborations between Gio Ponti and Piero Fornasetti and between Osvaldo Borsani and Lucio Fontana. Lalanne's Mouton de Pierre, designed in 1979 and executed in 1989, carries an estimate of £180,000 to £250,000.
The catalog is available online, with a public exhibition opening at Phillips' Berkeley Square galleries on 24 April. Domenico Raimondo, Phillips' Head of Department, Design, Europe and Senior International Specialist, framed the sale as a survey of a century of invention. "From Sottsass' intimate and radical 'Toeletta Nanda' to the raw immediacy of Ron Arad's early works, this sale charts a remarkable trajectory of design innovation across the 20th century and beyond," he said. "These works capture moments of profound experimentation, where new materials, techniques and ways of thinking redefined the possibilities of design. I am particularly thrilled by the strength of the Italian group, whose bold formal language and technical ingenuity continue to resonate with collectors today. We look forward to welcoming visitors to experience these works first hand from 24 April."
Icons of 20th-century Italian design
At the heart of the Italian selection is Sottsass' unique Toeletta Nanda, conceived in 1958 for the Milan apartment he shared with his first wife and muse, the writer Fernanda Pivano. Executed by the cabinetmaker Renzo Brugola, the piece was designed specifically for the couple's home and demonstrates an early articulation of Sottsass' spatial thinking and bold use of color. Its vitrines, housing symbolic figures associated with devotion and mythology, introduce a narrative dimension rarely seen in functional furniture, and as one of the few bespoke pieces created for the apartment, it offers a glimpse into Sottsass' private world at a formative moment in his career. Equally emblematic of Italian post-war creativity is the important Fiori e farfalle low table by Gio Ponti and Piero Fornasetti, produced circa 1951 at the height of their collaboration and estimated at £10,000 to £15,000. Rooted in a distinctly Milanese synthesis of art, design and architecture, the table reflects a moment when Ponti's concept of the casa attrezzata, the fully designed environment, was brought to life through Fornasetti's surreal and poetic visual language.
French mid-century highlights
Highlights of French mid-century design include Jean Prouvé's Cabinet, model no. 150, circa 1955, estimated at £80,000 to £120,000. Developed in the context of post-war scarcity and urgent housing needs, the design treats furniture as an extension of architecture, with folded sheet-steel uprights acting as load-bearing elements while its demountable construction anticipates the rise of prefabrication and modular living. Charlotte Perriand's iconic Nuage wall-mounted shelf of 1956, estimated at £40,000 to £60,000, expands this architectural approach into the domestic sphere as a flexible, open system that reflects her interest in adaptability and the integration of furniture within living space. Also on offer are five mirrors and a rare sculpture by Line Vautrin, whose intimate and avant-garde radiating compositions are defined by an inventive use of Talosel and a distinctive interplay of light, reflection and poetic fantasy, with one mirror of circa 1960 estimated at £30,000 to £50,000.
Contemporary and further highlights
The contemporary section explores the continued evolution of design through technological innovation and material experimentation. Jeroen Verhoeven's Lectori Salutem desk of 2010, estimated at £50,000 to £70,000, stands as a remarkable synthesis of digital design and traditional craftsmanship, constructed from 150 individually fabricated steel panels that transform an industrial material into a fluid, almost organic form. Two early works by Ron Arad, created circa 1990 in his London studio, One Off, capture a moment of raw experimentation in which design was driven by process, with their exposed welds, visible joints and dynamic use of materials such as sprung steel; each is estimated at £25,000 to £35,000. A rare Placebo side table by Shiro Kuramata, circa 1989, gifted to the current owner directly by the artist, underscores his enduring legacy as a master of poetic minimalism at an estimate of £10,000 to £15,000. Further highlights span a rare tea glass with stirrer by Josef Albers, a refined example of Bauhaus design from circa 1925, an example of which is held in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Selected highlights
The Design auction takes place on 30 April 2026 at 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX, with the public exhibition opening at Phillips' Berkeley Square galleries on 24 April.
Estimates do not include buyer's premium; prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer's premium.
(Press Release)
