KENNETH JAY LANE NEW YORK DANDY

Jewellery designer Kenneth Jay

Lane embodied glamour, elegance, and joie de vivre. A self-declared “fabulous fake” and unwavering proponent of fashion as fantasy, he presided over a moment in which the world’s most stylish women chose to adorn themselves in Lane’s bold masterworks of costume jewellery. Lane’s insatiably curious eye allowed him to curate a vision of elegance that extended through to his personal collecting. From the late 1970s, he filled his imposing Stanford White-designed Park Avenue residence with a striking assemblage of treasures, summed-up by Lane’s fanciful phrase: “I always think of myself as living in a tent.”

Sold at Christie’s New York on June 6, 2018, The Estate of Kenneth Jay Lane totaled $690,875, more than doubling the collection’s low estimate, with 100% sold by lot. Many lots greatly exceeded expectations, including the collection’s top lot A Patinated Bronze Ecorche Figure, which realized $87,500, against a low estimate of $1,500. Strong results were realized for the selection of Orientalist paintings, led by Georges Jules Victor Clairin (1843-1919), The Sultan's favorites, painted in 1875, which sold for $32,500, more than doubling its low estimate. Proceeds from the collection’s sale will benefit WNET New York Public Media.