Duane Kahlhamer
We peek into the busy working life of Duane Kahlhamer, collector and decorative arts and design specialist at The Pedestal auction house
‘I’ve been collecting since my late teens after reading the anti-war novel Death of a Hero by Richard Aldington (1929). This in turn led me to read up on the Jazz Age of the 1920s and discover the decorative arts and design of the inter-war period. I started buying Art Deco bric- à- brac from boot fairs and auctions around Banbury in Oxfordshire, where I grew up. One of the first objects I bought was a 1950 Bush TV12 bakelite television.
‘Now my collecting is clearly defined and much more selective – British industrial and German design from between the wars. Anything I buy I research, or I research first then buy. I have reappraised designers and makers such as the modernist furniture designer Denham Maclaren; the 1950s ceramics workshop Ehlers Pottery; and the émigré interior designer and architect Laszlo Hoenig.
‘After stints as a decorative arts specialist at Christie’s and Bonhams,
I’m now working with The Pedestal on a new series of decorative arts and design sales – an exciting prospect. The second Design For Living sale this spring will include furniture, metalwork, ceramics, glass and lighting from 1880 to the present day, with estimates from £300 up. ‘Sourcing items will not necessarily be about high value but about offering good- quality pieces. Some names I hope to see are Christopher Dresser, Archibald Knox, Lucie Rie, Hans Coper, Alvar Aalto, Isokon, Gerald Summers and Makers of Simple Furniture, Piero Fornasetti and Marcello Fantoni, and unusual Lenci. The process of getting a sale together is the fun bit, as you’re never sure what will come in – it’s a voyage of discovery.’ Design For Living will be held this spring at The Pedestal, Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 6HF. For more information visit thepedestal.com (020 7281 2790) or contact Duane directly at duane@thepedestal.com