20th Century Masters & NFTs

LTWID Auction House, a young auction house specialising in design, is organising a 'double' sale: whoever wins a lot also receives an NFT version. A new way to ensure the authenticity of a product and trace its history

Ettore Sottsass x Arredoluce, circa 1950 – “Masterpieces & Unique Finds”, LTWID Auction House
Ettore Sottsass x Arredoluce, circa 1950 – “Masterpieces & Unique Finds”, LTWID Auction House

On 22 and 23 May, LTWID Auction House is organising a sale – both in person and online, following what has become the industry standard – entitled Masterpieces & Unique Finds and dedicated to great historical Italian and international design.

Lot 82 – Luigi Colombo Fillìa (attr.), rare Italian Futurist armchairs
Lot 489 – Gaetano Pesce, multiple acrylic print, produced in 1964, signed

This sale has a special feature that ties in with the digital world: all participants will receive an artistic NFT in a design key, while those who win a lot will also receive it in the form of an NFT. NFTs, in this context, can be seen as certificates of ownership that cannot be forged and document all the changes of ownership of the object to which they are attached.

Lot 6 – Stilnovo chandelier with six diffusers, 1950s production

In the catalogue, furniture and lighting designed by illustrious names: Gio Ponti, Ico Parisi, Paolo Buffa, Osvaldo Borsani, Renzo Zavanella, Sergio Rodrigues, Zanine Caldas, and many others. Among the most special pieces that will be put up for auction will be a prototype coming directly from the family of the Florentine designer Marzio Cecchi, of considerable historical importance.

It is precisely with Marzio Cecchi that the very young auction house (its first sale dates back to May 2022) has achieved a record, the highest sum reached by an Italian sofa from the 1970s: it is the modular sofa Serpente, which went for € 472,000 after 411 bids.

Lot 20 – Pair of bamboo and leather armchairs, design Tito Agnoli, production 1960s
Lot 248 – Krupp Milano 48-piece cutlery set, design Gio Ponti, 1950s production

LTWID Auction House is the brainchild of two experts in the field of designer design who are directly involved in two on- and off-line galleries/marketplaces in the Milan area: Maruska Pregnolato, founder of LTWID, and Elisabetta Ferrante, administrative and financial manager of Forme Moderne. Both have been collaborating for years with major European houses.

Lot 391 – Walnut and maple bar cabinet by Osvaldo Borsani for ABV, 1930s
Lot 76 – Glass and brass coffee table by Pietro Chiesa for Fontana Arte, 1940s

Preparations are already under way for next autumn’s sale, which will focus on a major collection dedicated to Italian Rationalism, with major pieces made between 1910 and 1930.