MOST IMPORTANT FIND

Pierre Koenig, “Study House #21,” 1958, steel-and-glass structure situated in the Hollywood Hills, sold at wright for $3.2 million.

Probably our most important item was the Isamu Noguchi marble coffee table from 1948. This piece was sold to an important private collector, outbidding several institutions. Museums are an important factor in the market, but they are not the ones driving the prices to the highest levels. Passionate and deep-pocketed collectors are the real force of the market.

MOST PROMISING DESIGNER WORKING TODAY?
I like the designs of Marten Baas. He is young and his work is still accessible. So far he has created two major lines: his burnt furniture of iconic 20th-century design and his clay furniture series. He is one to watch. Marcel Wanders and the Campana Brothers [see “Out of the Woods,” Art & Antiques, Feb. 2007] are at the top of their games and their work is not over-priced.

YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNER?
As out-of-fashion as it is to say, Charles and Ray Eames will always be among my true design heroes. Every interior should have a piece; it always works and is true design. I just bought a chair by Michele Oka Doner. She is at the other extreme—a real artist. The seat and back are cast coral forms in silvered bronze. It is very sexy and magical. Her work is a smart buy if you can find it. We bought a pair of clay side chairs by Baas from Moss in SoHo. We love them—and you cannot go wrong following Murray Moss.

WHAT MUSEUM EXHIBITION RESONATED WITH YOU?
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s exhibition “Magritte and Contemporary Art: The Treachery of Images.” I thought I knew Magritte’s work—which to me is filled with visual puns—but the show allowed me to see it afresh and to appreciate the huge influence his work has had on both contemporary and conceptual artists such as Johns, Gober and Koons. They all owe a debt to the modest Magritte.