Expected to sell for millions, the Italian government says it made a « mistake » by allowing a London auction house to sell the classic furniture as it’s part of the country’s ‘cultural heritage.’
ADVERTISEMENTLondon-based auctioneers Christie’s have been prevented from putting a dining table set to the hammer by the Italian government.
An international legal battle has broken out after Italy’s Culture Ministry stepped in to stop the sale of a dining table and six chairs designed by Carlo Mollino which were due to go for auction at Christie’s.
The British auction house expected the Mollino set to sell with a starting price of between £1.2-1.8 million (€1.42-2.13 million) as the pieces, designed by the Turin-based architect and interior designer, were made for one of his personal friends.
Before the 1940s set could go to auction, the Italian government blocked the proceedings, claiming the pieces were part of the country’s cultural heritage.
This week, an Italian administrative court supported the move by the government, rejecting a demand from Christie’s and the current owner to hand over at least £1.2 million (€1.42 million) in damages.
Mollino was born in Turin in 1905 and during his life was an established architect who worked in the futurism and surrealism traditions, though his most famous works have always been his furniture designs.
Despite never mass-producing any furniture, his intricately designed pieces which incorporated his architectural aesthetic have been influential to many interior designers since.
As most of the works he made were only for himself or friends, the scarce pieces regularly sell for huge sums. A wood-and-glass table from 1949 sold for $3,824,000 in 2005 at Christie’s New York.
The Italian government now hopes that their claim of Mollino’s impact on Italian cultural heritage will bring the pieces back home.
In 2019, the heirs of the table and chairs set sought permission to export the furniture, which the Italian newspaper La Repubblica reports the government did not deem a threat to “the integrity and completeness of the cultural patrimony of the nation”.
It was only after Christie’s put the furniture up for sale with the large starting price that Italy took notice. Italy claims it made a “mistake” in undervaluing the furniture as it had been exported under two separate permits for the table and chairs respectively.
