Award-winning furniture designer and nominee for a Luxist Readers' Choice Award for Decor, Vladimir Kagan, has collaborated with mannequin artist and sculptor Ralph Pucci, on a limited edition fiberglass chair that is both functional and a work of art.

The endeavor initiated during a simple conversation between Kagan and Pucci who were examining sketches of Kagan's 1950's era designs. Though never produced, the sketches were of pieces in a variety of materials, including fiberglass.

Kagan had long wanted to create a plastic chair, as his designs were so ideally suited for the medium. When Pucci saw Kagan's sketches, his realized his sculptor and mannequin workshop was equipped to produce the concept. Pucci also felt the project was very current because of an exhibit of noted Israeli designer Ron Arad's carbon fiber armchairs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Kagan designed a new chair and produced a miniature clay model of it. Shortly thereafter, he and Pucci started to build a full-scale mockup in clay.

For Kagan, working with a pliable material was a totally liberating experience. For Pucci, it made common sense to utilize the facilities of his mannequin workroom and create something new and different, all in keeping with his thoughts of moving forward.

The result is the fiberglass collection in a limited edition of 100 now on view at the Ralph Pucci Showroom in New York, the Los Angeles Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Ca., and the J. Bachelor DCOTA Design Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The chairs have been produced in foundry black, foundry grey and white ($9,000 each) as well as clear ($15,000 each).

The successful collaboration gave birth to a new collection of limited edition sculptures by Kagan which were produced and sculptured by Pucci at the Ralph Pucci workroom. The sculptures will be introduced at the Ralph Pucci showroom in New York in December. The chairs will also be on display following a lecture by Pucci and Kagan at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum at 2 East 91st Street in New York on October 29, 2009.

A combination of elephant and man. This is one very interesting piece of artwork, and although I think it's more than a little strange I can still appreciate it is beautiful in it's own way. Called 'People Belong to Elephant' it's part of a collection by artist Chen Changwei that's based on the Chinese zodiac. I came across this piece at Vivre and as far as I can right now they're only carrying three of the zodiac sculptures (see them in the gallery) but I'm curious to see the rest. As part of a limited edition of only 8, this People Belong to Elephant sculpture stands 31" tall and is available as part of Daum's China Collection for $76,500.

Art may not be selling as it did a year and a half ago, but hopefully even strapped collectors will open their wallets for a good cause. The Yvon Lambert Gallery in Paris has pulled together work from 1,000 artists to be sold at a fundraiser to combat the spread of AIDS. Among the artists participating are heavy hitters, such as Olafur Eliasson, Jonathan Monk, Christian Marday, Rafael Lozano-Hammer, Sophie Calle and Jo Baer.

But, there are two aspects of the event that make it unique.

First, prices will be standardized. Every piece offered in the two-day sale will be set at €100 (except sculpture, which will be €300). Also, collectors won't know whose work they'll receive until they pay up. The lucky could wind up with amazing pieces worth far more than they paid ... extending the good feeling that comes with supporting a worthy charity.

[Photo of Olafur Eliasson's New York waterfall by epicharmus via Flickr]

The Thinker is one of the most recognizable sculptures in the world. It even has a role in the film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Last week one of the Thinker sculptures by French master Auguste Rodin was sold at auction for more than 3 million euros ($4.2 million) in Paris at auctioneers Drouot. This Thinker, which is just 28.5 inches high, set a record for any of the Thinkers. This statue is part of a series of 21 sculptures made by Rodin. It was originally meant to be part of Rodin's Gates of Hell inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy. Rodin made a first small plaster version around 1880 and the first large scale bronze was presented to the public in 1904. This particular Thinker was purchased by Emile Chouanard in 1917, the same year it was cast. Another Rodin statue owned by Chouanard, "Little Eve" also sold for a record price of over 2.4 million euros at the auction.

[via Reuters]

Less than two years ago, a huge shiny sculpture by Jeff Koons, Hanging Heart by Jeff Koons went for $23.4 million at auction. Now the kitschy artist has another monumental piece up for sale, a giant rendition of a candy egg which will be auctioned off at the May 12 evening sale of Contemporary Art at Sotheby's New York. The massive egg is made of high-chromium stainless steel with transparent color coating and is one of four differently colored versions. It is estimated to sell for $6 to $8 million. For a sense of the scale of the piece, watch the video of Sotheby's principal auctioneer Tobias Meyer talking about it. Meyer speaks about Koons's love of the egg shape and its meaning of creativity, fertility and positivity. It might be tempting to dismiss Koons's outsized and cartoonish creations but Meyer remarks that it is actually quite a challenge to create something that looks like shiny aluminum wrapper from steel and chromium and that the two types of finishes, the crumpled look and the high gloss bow present their own challenges. Some contemporary art provokes thought or controversy but with Koons you generally get a sort of glee, a sense of the ridiculousness of the world. Viewing one of his large sculptures from his Celebration series is like revisiting your own childhood through a funhouse mirror.

[Thanks, Lana]

The big spring art sales in New York are still a couple of months away but the stories related to big lots are starting to appear. Fans of the spare bronzes of Alberto Giacometti may want to save their pennies for the stripped down kitty shown above. Alberto Giacometti's Le Chat is one of eight bronze cats cast in 1951. It will be auctioned by Sotheby's on May 5.

The NY Times reports that a Giacometti cat sculpture hasn't been offered at public auction in over 30 years. The last one sold for $130,000 at Sotheby's in New York in 1975. Sotheby's estimates that its cat, which has been in the hands of a European collector since the 1960s, could bring $16 million to $22 million.

Collectors of all kinds are known the world over for spending exorbitant amounts of money on objects that get the majority of their worth from the sentimental value they hold with their owners. Japanese folklore is no exception, and a company in Japan is hoping to cash in on some collector love by offering hand-carved wooden sculptures of the famous mythical monsters Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. The creations are each extremely detailed and impressive, as well as quite pricey. The smaller Godzilla and Mothra versions are priced at $3,000 each, but the real star of the show is the three-headed King Ghidorah -- he stands 8 1/2 feet tall and costs a cool $23,000.

Could make for an interesting statement in your entryway, perhaps? (ha!)

Via Bornrich

British millionaire Sir John Madejski is sending his Tiny Dancer to the auction block at Sotheby's Impressionist art auction on February 3. The bronze sculpture from Degas, Petite danseuse de quatorze ans, is one of Degas's most famous and popular works. The bronze cast is one of only a few remaining in private hands. It is estimated at £9 – 12 million. Sir John Madejski is one of Britain's leading arts philanthropists and the sculpture was on display at the Royal Academy in London since 2004 when he bought this statue for £5 million at Sotheby's in London. Another version sold in 1999 for $12.4 million which is highest price paid for a Degas sculpture.

[via Wealth Bulletin]

The art of Herb Williams instantly brings out the child in everyone. Williams, who describes his process on his website, says that he is the" only individual in the world with an account with Crayola." Williams uses crayons as the medium for his sculpture. Williams cuts his colors packed 3000 to a case. He cuts down the sticks and then bonda the paper, not the wax, to a form he has either carved or cast.

The colorful Yellow Lab shown above is made of cut yellow and blue crayons, wood and two-part epoxy resin. It measures 42" x 19" x 28" and is for sale for $18,000 through Vivre where you can also find several other of his playful pop pieces.

The Art Miami show has had its first casualty, a sad tale that anyone who has ever opened a package and found shards where art should be can identify with. The Palm Beach Post captures the reactions of artist Carole Feuerman on discovering that her resin sculpture "Survival of Serena" arrived in Miami in broken pieces. It is unknown how the sculpture was damaged but the plywood crate protecting it was too thin. The piece had been displayed in China at the National Museum of China in Beijing during the Olympics and then in Italy and was to serve as the welcome piece at Art Miami this week. The sculpture was valued at $350,000 but Feuerman says insurance will only pay $9,100. Art Miami officials decided to display the sculpture and crate in their shattered form. Feuerman is understandably distraught over the loss but says she will try to make another Serena.

Has the craze for Japanese artist and Louis Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami's work become the latest victim of the looming recession? In May, art world observers were astounded when Murakami's onanistic sculpture My Lonesome Cowboy, estimated at $3 - $4 million, ended up going for $15 million at a Sotheby's auction. Many expected a similar result Saturday evening when Phillips de Pury put another major Murakami work up for auction in London. However, the 21-ft. sculpture Tongari-kun (above), estimated at $6 - $7.8 million, did not draw a single bid, Bloomberg reports.

Moreover, Murakami himself was in the auction audience, no doubt wanting to witness the windfall in person. He took the snub well, however; as nothing but silence answered the auctioneer's calls, the artist burst out laughing. Some insiders said Murakami had been considering staging a big bucks solo auction like the one so successfully run by Damien Hirst, but he may rethink that now, at least until the economic picture improves. Hirst of course looks even more brilliant for staging his $200 million sale right before the financial markets really went to hell in a handbasket.

Whether you're looking to preserve the memory of your new baby's tiny foot or your favorite pet's scruffy paw, Wrightson & Platt can help you lock those precious moments and keep them forever in the form of sculpture or jewelry. They use a fast setting jelly to take a cast of the desired body part (they can capture everything from a wiggly baby's fingers to a woman's pregnant belly) and then put that cast through what can only be described as a fascinating process to create the final product in your choice of materials including bronze, glass, platinum, and sterling silver. Prices start, for the smallest pieces like pins and cufflinks, at about £1200 and go up from there.

Via Lussorian

Whether you see her as deeply forlorn about something, or just really exhausted from her last routine, this ballerina sculpture cast in green and amber pate de verre crystal and signed by the Daum designer certainly evokes thought as to what the inspiration was behind it. I love this sculpture, and most of the others in the gallery, because they're all so expressive. It's amazing to me how such simple lines and few colors can evoke so much mood and emotion.

The ballerina sits atop a crystal block and measures 12 1.2" high, $5,500.

Artist Jonas Perkins has created a line of silver jewelry and sculpture for those supporting Barack Obama. The line features earrings, pendants and a lapel pin featuring the slogans "Yes We Can" and "Change You Can Count On" with the Obama logo. The pieces range from $30 to $78. The really pricey item is the Barack Obama bronze bust which Perkins, a sculptor from Fredericksburg, Texas, has created. The limited edition piece titled "Yes We Can" sells for $2,500.

Artnet recently launched an online art auction (still in beta mode), featuring photography, prints, works on paper, sculpture, and paintings. At a glance there were several hundred works posted, and there's info on the home page for art dealers on how to become an authorized Artnet seller. The site is straightforward and seems to work much like any online auction -- place a bid (U.S. dollars or euros) or just add to your watch list. There are starting bids, estimates, and end times. While the site is just getting started, I bet that with people shopping more and more from home (saving gas), even shopping online for art will become commonplace.