One-Of-A-Kind Leica Digital Rangefinder On Bid At Jony And Marc's (RED) Auction
There are so many fantastic items up for grabs in the Jony and Marc's (RED) Auction put on by Sotheby's that we had a really hard time figuring out which ones we wanted to highlight. Scheduled to take place on November 23 in New York, the auction will be benefiting the popular AIDS charity (RED) — which was started by Bono — and was curated by designer Marc Newson and Apple designer Jony Ive (ahem, Sir Jonathan Ive). The team spent the past year and a half curating and designing this collection, and customizing a wide array of unique offerings, spanning everything from space travel to contemporary art.
"It's been a fantastic honor to curate this collection of objects with Marc for the auction at Sotheby's," says Sir Jonathan Ive. "Each piece represents the value of thoughtful design. What we create for each other is not only a comment on our culture but of course in many ways defines it. (RED) is making a difference in the lives of millions of people and we're humbled to make this contribution to such an important and worthy cause."
The auction's top estimated item is a Leica Digital Rangefinder Camera ($500k – $750k), which is the only one of its kind. With a magnesium die-cast body, and an outer shell made of milled and anodized aluminum, the duo wanted to create something simple that houses a complex interior. Based on the Leica M, the camera lens has a fixed focal length of 50mm and a maximum f-stop of 2.0.
"It's been a thrilling journey for Jony and me to curate this collection of pieces that celebrate extraordinary design that we love, that transcends all boundaries of time and place. These objects were each conceived to resolve a singularly focused challenge, yet have subsequently achieved a cultural significance that's above and beyond their initial functionality," says Marc Newson. "Each object and the process of creating it conveys a rich set of human values, so it seems fitting that they should be auctioned with a different sense of human value in mind, to raise as much as possible to help people's lives today."
From an edition of five, the Marilyn Trunk from artist Takashi Murakami is estimated to bring in between $150k and $200k. This steamer trunk was originally designed by Louis Vuitton to showcase 33 Murakami bags, and was originally presented in 2007 at the artist's retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
An Airstream 16 Sport Travel Trailer ($50k – $70k) was donated and has been given custom interior and wheels, making it an edition of...one. This trailer is a piece of American cinematic history, with similar models being featured in films like Raising Arizona and Mars Attacks!, and is even part of New York's Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection. With its low, rounded shape and light-weight aluminum shell, this Airstream can be towed by any car — though we wouldn't recommend any rough traveling with this one.
Other lots include a pair of Damien Hirst chairs ($30k – $35k), a (RED) Apple Mac Pro ($40k – $60k), and a redesigned Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos Clock ($20k – $30k).
