The world of design gains significant momentum as design objects fetch record-setting prices and the global market continues to thrive. This growth has been driven by an institutional interest and expanded international collector base, including Millennials and Gen Z, who currently make up 20% of design bidders. Collectible design is no longer about connoisseurship, but about the creation of personal, dazzling interiors with narrative as collectible objects make the core of some of the world’s finest homes today. Yet, despite the increasing knowledge and as design of historical significance has occupied art scholars, been the focus of museum exhibitions, the market has been flooded with fakes, copies, reeditions, and misattributed works; the term ‘collectible design’ has become more elusive as it is commonly used incorrectly.
It is time to thoroughly re-examine and to analyze the term ‘collectible design,’ which was coined relatively recently to describe long-time collecting activities. What makes a design object ‘collectible’? What is the role of the changing taste in the ‘collectibility’ of design objects? The current blue-chip fixtures in the design market are objects of bold visions and innovations—of historical significance. Among the stars of the current market are François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, Diego Giacometti, George Nakashima, Jean Royère, Lucie Rie, and Tiffany Studios. There is also a rising interest in the work of newly-discovered stars, notably Judy Kensley McKie, Line Vautrin, and Shiro Kuramata; a very different group than what was the face of the market 10 years ago.
Join me this spring for the most fascinating and memorable season as I renew the series ‘Collecting Design: History, Collections, Highlights,’ which I started 12 years ago. Together with some of the world’s leading experts, I will dive into the magical world of the art of collecting design. Among the topics covered this season are Isamu Noguchi, American interwar design, Nordic lighting and furniture, Japanese ceramics, mid-century Brazilian furniture, Marolles, Panton, and so much more. While creating a collection takes passion and dedication, it requires an educated eye to determine the great from the mediocre, and to fully understand, as good design is not in the eye of the beholder, but ought to be judged objectively. Together we will learn how to ‘read’ objects, and what really is ‘collectible’ in design. Join me and take your taste and knowledge to new horizons.
$675 Ticket fee includes 8 sessions
- February 18 – Zesty Meyers on Verner Panton
- March 4 – Christopher Longe on American Modernism
- March 11 – Andrew Duncanson on Scandinavian Modern
- March 18 Benjamin Desprez on Atelier Marolles
- March 25 Flavio Santoro on Brazilian Modernism
- April 15 – Larry Weinberg on American Design
- April 22 Daniella Ohad on Japanese Contemporary Ceramics
- April 29 – Monica Obniski on Isamu Noguchi
You will be invited to a private curated tour of TEFAF New York
Led by Daniella Ohad (date TBA)
“Daniella’s classes are an endless source of inspiration, driving me to know design history and carve out my own legacy.”
“Daniela Ohad’s programs fundamentally reshaped the way I understand and approach collectible design. They gave me the historical depth, critical vocabulary, and confidence to collect with intention rather than instinct. They sharpened my curatorial thinking and clarified how historical relevance, material innovation, and authorship intersect in true collectible design.”
“As a practicing interior designer, I found the class both intellectually rigorous and highly relevant to my work. It enhanced my approach to sourcing, evaluating, and integrating design with historical and cultural significance.”
“Daniella's interviews, seminars and podcasts take us inside the heads of the designers she studies. It's a deep dive into their personalities and their times in ways I find captivating. I find design to be highly personal. Daniella makes it even more so by getting inside the heads of those she studies and interviews in the most intimate of ways. Her classes are genuine and intimate, making design real and relevant. Highly inspiring in my own design work.”
“This course truly opens your mind to worlds beyond your own desk. It offers a deep and intelligent perspective on artists and design worldwide, allowing you to understand the origins and thinking behind the work — not just the final image. For me, design is a continuous process of learning, and this course embodies that spirit of intellectual inspiration.”
About the Instructor
Daniella Ohad received her Ph.D. from Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture. She lectures and publishes widely on design history, theory, and the decorative arts. She has taught at Parsons the New School for Design, Pratt Institute, and Bard College. She is a speaker on topics in design, collecting, and taste worldwide.
