Arbiters of Style: The Collection of Anthony Hail & Charles Posey
Christie’s, New York, Rockefeller Plaza, 8 October 2013
I first came across the noted interior designer Anthony Hail in the late 1960s in a magazine which showed his San Francisco apartment. It fascinated me with its mixture of French and Baltic period furniture, the objects and chandeliers and the use of architectural prints on the walls. To me, it had a combination of light and elegance, traditional yet modern in feel.
Now, 40 plus years later, Christie’s is auctioning this timeless, eclectic collection from the home of Anthony Hail and his partner Charles Posey in New York on October 8th. I have little doubt that this will be a very popular auction with many collectors and designers bidding for items such as the Russian chandelier, formerly owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post, Chinese porcelain, oil paintings or the 1st century Roman marble herm.
Looking through the catalogue I still get the same sense of excitement I got when I first encountered the work of Anthony Hail, but I will be sensible and leave the last words to David Hicks, who like Capote and Andy Warhol, was entertained by him in his home.
“One of the most enchanting small apartments I know was created by Anthony Hail ten years ago in San Francisco.…What was so special about this room was the utter simplicity of no colour, the quality of the few pieces of furniture, and the total lack of pretentiousness. The rarity of the few decorative objects gave this an almost sanctuary-like atmosphere, particularly rare at that time. It was in strict contrast to all other decoration in America then.”
Images courtesy of Christie’s
Tim Forrest's E & A 