Top Picks by Mark McDonald
If you live in Hudson and love design, you probably know Mark McDonald or, at least, have been influenced by his work in some way. Mark is a longtime collector, scholar, and promoter of the mid-century modern design subset in furniture, glass, ceramics, lighting, jewelry, metal, wood, and books. He has played no small part in bringing the style to the height of popularity it has reached today.
Mark came on the scene with his first influential gallery, Fifty/50, and has since led a multitude of galleries to success. Recently, McDonald sold his remarkable Warren St building, with its familiar bright red doors designed by Warren MacArthur.
Mark became a customer of Public Sale when it first opened. He bought an interesting industrial form to repurpose as a planter. We offered to deliver the large metal sculptural piece just down the block for him, and in return, he showed up days later with a bottle of Champagne– a kind thanks from a good neighbor.
On the heels of his recent single-collector auction at Wright, which included many books from his personal library, we thought Mark would be a great choice to ask to curate the "Top Picks" for our Mid-Century Modern auction, “Modern Blueprint,” which includes a special section of books from three different local collections.
Mark’s eye for good design has no boundaries, as you can tell from his picks…handmade to manufactured, mid-century to postmodern.
An Image from a 2015 WSJ article on McDonald (COURTESY INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART)
Mark’s Top Picks
LOT 68: Jean Nouvel for Unifor "Less" Modern Metal Dining Table
LOT 208: Pair of Danish Modern Teak and Aluminum Grasshopper Floor Lamps
LOT 43: Ettore Sottsass Callimaco Artemide Floor Lamp, Memphis
LOT 108: Prototype Bauhaus Modern Modular Cabinet, "Circle Chair"
LOT 187: 5 Modern Designer White Chairs, Magis Air, Alias, Vitra