Ceci n'est pas un toy. Ceci n'est pas un dollhouse. Ceci n'est pas a house at all. Because if it were any of that, would it be being auctioned off at Phillips dePury this Saturday? Bien sur que non.
This is Kaleidoscope House, 2000, a work of art by Laurie Simmons and Peter Wheelwright in the medium of plastic dollhouse. Totally different. An example from this unnumbered edition was exhibited at the esteemed Deitch Projects gallery in SoHo in 2000 as part of the debut of a related work of art titled The Pool Pavilion.
Kaleidoscope House was published by the pre-eminent toy art foundry in Philadelphia, Bogart Toys, or as those of us who know how to read cursive and/or proofread auction listings affectionately call them, Bozart Toys.
And unlike other risky investment vehicles like collectibles or real estate, art only increases in value. That's why the experts at Phillips are confident enough to put an $800-1200 estimate on Kaleidoscope House, $1000-1600 with premium. A mint-in-box Kaleidoscope House sold on eBay last year for $1591, the highest prices ever seen, and so this played-with edition of Kaleidoscope House will surely benefit from the flight-to-quality impulses of the strong market since then. Don't miss out on this sure thing!
Lot 154: LAURIE SIMMONS AND PETER WHEELWRIGHT, Kaleidoscope House, 2000, est. $800-1200, live auction Oct. 25 update: sold for $938, with premium [ebay live via andy]
Deitch Projects, Kaleidoscope House, November 11, 2000 - December 02, 2000 [deitch.com]
"...in the medium of plastic dollhouse." Too funny. What'll they think of next? Perhaps selling a urinal as a piece of art?