Design 
18 April 2023
Design 
109

Rudolph M. Schindler

Armchair from the Ellen Janson Residence, Los Angeles

Austria/USA, c. 1948
limed pine plywood, canvas upholstery 24 h × 26¾ w × 29 d in (61 × 68 × 74 cm)
estimate: $20,000–30,000
result: $22,680
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Three examples of this armchair were produced for the Janson residence.
provenance: Ellen Janson, Los Angeles | Private Collection, Los Angeles | Collection of Mark McDonald | Sotheby's, New York, What Modern Is: The Collection of Mark McDonald, 10 March 2011, Lot 337 | Private Collection
literature: The Furniture of R.M. Schindler, Berns, ppg. 29 illustrates similar model, 62 illustrates drawing of model R.M. Schindler, Steele, pg. 160 illustrates work in situ

This work will ship from Los Angeles, California.

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The Ellen Janson House

Ellen Janson House, Los Angeles, 1948-49. R. M. Schindler papers Architecture and Design
Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC, Santa Barbara.

I consider myself the first and still one of the few architects who consciously abandoned stylistic sculptural architecture in order to develop space as a medium of art... I believe that outside of Frank Lloyd Wright I am the only architect in U.S. who has attained a distinct local and personal form language.

Rudolph M. Schindler

Rudolph M. Schindler 1887–1953

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Rudolph Michael Schindler was an Austrian-born architect and designer who came to define the landscape of mid-century modernism in Southern California. His education began at the Imperial Technical Institute in Vienna from 1906 to 1911 before studying under Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1910 to 1913. Schindler eventually sought the mentorship of Frank Lloyd Wright in Chicago. In 1920, he was hired by Wright to oversee the important Hollyhock House commission in Los Angeles. Schindler would remain in California for the rest of his life.

His iconic home and studio, the Schindler Chase House on Kings Road, set the stage for California Modernism. The construction featured a minimalist approach and linear form built in sleek concrete with sliding glass doors opening to gardens — all of which became staples of the Southern California style. The space was designed for communal living and Schindler shared the space with his wife Pauline among many other important figures, including Richard Neutra and John Cage. Between the years of 1920 and 1953, Schindler designed numerous residential commissions such as the Lovell Beach House (1922), Rodriguez House (1942), Kallis House (1946), and the Tischler House (1949). While Rudolph Schindler’s death was untimely, his legacy and philosophy continue to be celebrated in his iconic structures.

Auction Results Rudolph M. Schindler

Rudolph M. Schindler

Unit chair and ottoman for the Van Patten House, Los Angeles

estimate: $15,000–25,000

result: $56,250

Rudolph M. Schindler

Custom desk for the J. L. Armon House, Los Angeles

estimate: $30,000–50,000

result: $44,100

Rudolph M. Schindler

Armchair

estimate: $10,000–12,000

result: $31,200

Rudolph M. Schindler

pair of stools from the Gingold Residence, Los Angeles

estimate: $20,000–30,000

result: $30,000

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