For Ep30 of Thinking of Art, I spoke with Jason Stein, Director of the Modern Decorative Art + Design Department at Bonhams in Los Angeles. Their May 28 and June 4, 2020 Modern Design|Art sale (Part 1) and (Part 2) include nearly 400 lots of furniture, objects, paintings, prints and photographs encompassing all of the major Modernist movements from the early 1900s to the present day.

Today we spoke about some highlights from the sale, the current art market, where to find value in design objects, and the basics of how to bid at auction.

Jason Stein is the Director of the Modern Decorative Art + Design Department at Bonhams in Los Angeles. His primary responsibilities include developing relationships with collectors, dealers and institutions in the western region of the U.S., providing fair market value and insurance related appraisals and securing consignments for Bonhams’ Modern Decorative Art + Design Auctions, which are held four times annually in Los Angeles and New York.

Stein has nearly 30 years of experience in decorative arts, with special expertise in appraising and selling custom works by legends of interior design, a niche market that he helped to establish during his work in the auction field.